PRIME MINISTER

10 Downing Street

John Hayes: To ask the Prime Minister what items in the Donated Asset Reserve 10 Downing Street holds; and what use it is making of  (a) jewellery,  (b) watches and  (c) other items in the holding.

Gordon Brown: The Government have published an annual list of gifts received by Ministers in an official capacity valued at more than £140 since 2001. Copies of the lists are available in the Libraries of the House. The list makes clear which gifts are held by Government Departments. The arrangements for the handling of gifts are set out in chapter 7 of the Ministerial Code.

Church of England

David Drew: To ask the Prime Minister what recent representations he has received from Church of England bishops on Government economic and social policy.

Gordon Brown: I have regular discussions with a wide range of organisations and individuals, including the clergy.

Domestic Visits: Costs

Greg Hands: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  what the cost to the public purse of the hotel accommodation for  (a) the Prime Minister and  (b) his special advisers was during visits around the UK between 7 and 9 January 2009;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the three day tour he undertook between 7 and 9 January 2009.

Gordon Brown: The information requested is not yet available. All travel is undertaken in accordance with the requirements of the Ministerial Code and the Civil Service Management Code.

Domestic Visits: Costs

Greg Hands: To ask the Prime Minister whether entry fees were charged for events held during his UK tour between 7 and 9 January 2009.

Gordon Brown: No entry fees were charged for any official events.

Ministers

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make it his policy to conduct exit interviews with Ministers leaving Government; and if he will conduct an exit interview with Lord Jones of Birmingham to discuss the noble Lord's experiences as a Minister.

Gordon Brown: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 23 July 2007,  Official Report, column 721W.

Specialist Schools and Academies Trust

Theresa May: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make publicly available a full transcript of his speech to the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust on 24 June 2008.

Gordon Brown: A transcript of my speech is available on the No. 10 website:
	http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page16129

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Members: Offices

David Amess: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how many  (a) hon. Members and  (b) staff of hon. Members have an office in (i) 1 Parliament Street, (ii) Norman Shaw North, (iii) Norman Shaw South, (iv) the Palace of Westminster, (v) 7 Millbank and (vi) Portcullis House.

Nick Harvey: Full information on accommodation allocations on the House of Commons estate was given in the Third Report of the Select Committee on Administration Session 2005-06 HC1279 in June 2006. Updated information is as follows:
	 Hon .  Members:
	Parliament Street: 59 Members
	Norman Shaw North: 103 Members
	Norman Shaw South: 45 Members
	Palace of Westminster: 238 Members
	Portcullis House: 208 Members
	Staff of hon. Members are not allocated rooms. Some have desks in rooms allocated to their employing Member, some have desks in suited rooms adjoining those of their employing Member and some have desks in shared accommodation occupied by the staff of more than one Member. The number of Members' staff fluctuates constantly and it is therefore difficult to give an exact figure for the number accommodated on the parliamentary estate. The figures for the number of desks occupied by Members' staff stated in the Administration Committee's report are as follows:
	1 Parliament Street: 125
	Norman Shaw North: 267
	Norman Shaw South: 145
	Palace of Westminster: 288
	Portcullis House: 405
	Hon. Members and their staff are not accommodated in 7 Millbank.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Departmental Pay

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will make it his policy to ensure that those temporary and permanent employees at the same grade in his Department who are paid at an hourly rate are paid at the same rate.

Mike O'Brien: The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), which was formed on 3 October 2008, will consist of posts transferred from the existing Departments for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) and for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). The detail is still being worked on, but staff will come to DECC from Energy Group in BERR and Climate Change Group in DEFRA. All DECC staff, including those in the corporate centre, are currently on either the BERR or DEFRA terms and conditions. Given that, I refer the hon. Member to the answers given by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Ogmore (Huw Irranca-Davies) on 13 January 2009,  Official Report, column reference 594W and by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Employment Relations and Postal Affairs, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform on 14 January 2009,  Official Report, column 757W.

Home Energy Efficiency Scheme: Essex

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many people were required to make contributions towards the cost of work carried out under the Warm Front scheme in Essex in each of the last five years; and what the average contribution was.

Joan Ruddock: The information requested is available from the beginning of the current phase of Warm Front, which commenced in 2005. The figures shown as follows are from 1 June 2005 until end of October 2008.
	
		
			   Number of customers in Essex who made an additional contribution  Average customer contribution (£) 
			 2005-06 304 412.95 
			 2006-07 948 519.02 
			 2007-08 2,114 608.02 
			 2008-09 1,429 640.45

Nuclear Power: Consultants

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change which external consultants have been engaged by  (a) the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate and  (b) the Nuclear Directorate in connection with the generic design assessment.

Jonathan R Shaw: I have been asked to reply.
	The Nuclear Installations Inspectorate of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has engaged the following main group of external consultants in connection with the Generic Design Assessment (GDA) work:
	IAEA
	Washington E&C Ltd.
	EPRI
	Health Protection Agency
	Morson International
	Imperial College London
	OECD-NEA
	AMEC
	Atkins Nuclear
	A number of individuals have been engaged to form the Project Review Board, namely Mr. David Hughes, Professor John Raine, Mr. Bernard Whittle and Mr. Phillip Woodward. Additionally Mr. James Furness has been engaged as Project Assurance Officer.
	It is the intention of the HSE's NII to employ other Technical Support Contractors throughout the GDA process to aid in the provision of supplementary data and information on the reactor designs. HSE are currently undertaking an open procurement process in line with EU guidance/regulations to identify and appoint such contractors.

Warm Front Scheme

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many contractors have left the Warm Front scheme in each of the last six months.

Joan Ruddock: No contractors have left the scheme in any of the last six months.

TRANSPORT

Aviation: Security

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information his Department holds for benchmarking purposes on restrictions imposed by other countries on passengers carrying liquids on aeroplanes.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Liquid restrictions are in place at all EC airports as required under EC aviation security regulations. In late 2006 the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) issued a recommendation to each of its 190 contracting states that restrictions on the hand carriage of liquids, aerosols and gels (LAGs) through security search points should be imposed. Most major states have applied such restrictions, including the US, Canada, Australia, Japan and Singapore.

Bus Services: Concessions

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many appeals bus operators have made in respect of the rate of reimbursement for concessionary fares since April 2008; how many of these appeals  (a) have been successful,  (b) have been rejected and  (c) are still outstanding; and what estimate he has made of the average cost to his Department of (i) processing and (ii) resolving an appeal of this type.

Paul Clark: There were 100 appeals by bus operators about reimbursement arrangements in 2008-09, of which five were not valid and 52 were later withdrawn. Of the 43 appeals remaining, by 19 January, 11 appeals have been determined by independent adjudicators appointed on behalf of the Secretary of State for Transport. Of these appeals, five were upheld and six were dismissed. A further 32 appeals remain to be determined. It is intended to issue the majority of those determinations by the end of January.
	The average cost of processing and resolving an appeal takes account of four officials working full-time for about half of the year on casework, the fees of consultants and the two independent adjudicators. The cost per appeal determined is estimated to be approximately £6,000.

Commuters: Hemel Hempstead

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what incentives are offered to people travelling to work in Hemel Hempstead to reduce the environmental impact of that travel.

Paul Clark: The policies and objectives in Hertfordshire county council's Local Transport Plan aim to encourage the use of alternatives to the car in order to protect the environment. Implementation is carried out through a variety of methods, including the improvement of public transport, the development of new cycling routes and working with local employers to encourage their staff to travel more sustainably. The Hemel Hempstead Urban Transport Plan includes a number of proposed measures including the development of travel plans for Hemel Hempstead railway station and the hospital, proactively encouraging the development of car clubs and establishing a project to provide individual households with travel planning advice.

Cycling: Safety

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to ensure the protection of pedestrians from cyclists.

Jim Fitzpatrick: We advise all road users, including cyclists and pedestrians, of the need to be aware of others and be considerate of their needs. The main source of this advice is the Highway Code, which sets out road traffic law and advice for safe road users. It includes specific sections for cyclists and for pedestrians. The rules for cyclists make clear that they must not cycle on the pavement as this is an offence. It also provides advice on taking care of pedestrians in those areas where cyclists and pedestrians share space, such as unsegregated cycle tracks. In addition the Department for Transport provides local authorities with guidance on the planning and design of facilities used by pedestrians and cyclists including shared use.

Departmental Languages

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many  (a) Ministers and  (b) civil servants in his Department received coaching in a foreign language in the last 12 months; what expenditure his Department incurred in providing such coaching; and in what languages such coaching was provided.

Geoff Hoon: The central Department and its agencies recorded no instances where Ministers have received coaching in a foreign language in the last 12 months.
	The following table provides a break down of civil servants within the Department and its agencies who have received coaching in a foreign language.
	
		
			   Delegates attended  Language(s)  Cost (£) 
			  DFT (C)  Not available  French, Mandarin, Spanish, Italian and German  £6.50 -£8.00 per hour 
			 DVLA 0 — — 
			 HA 1 Dutch 700.00 
			 MCA 1 Spanish 314.00 
			 VGA 0 — — 
			 VOSA 1 Welsh 144.00 
			 GCDA 0 — —

Driver Information Systems: Licensing

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what conditions his Department has applied to the issue of licences for dynamic route guidance systems.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Those seeking licences have been obliged to submit to an independent assessment, commissioned by the Department for Transport, of the adequacy of the drivers' interaction with the equipment (with the aim of ensuring that the risk of driver distraction has been minimised). Assurance that the relevant product categorises roads appropriately for routeing has also been required and the licences issued have themselves included various requirements regarding for example record-keeping.

Government Car and Despatch Agency

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many instances of misuse of government procurement cards within the Government Car and Despatch Agency have been recorded since 1 January 2006; what the amount involved in each such instance was; and which disciplinary measures have been applied as a result of such instances.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Government Procurement Card (GPC) was introduced into the Government Car and Despatch Agency on 1 April 2006. Since that time the following incidents of misuse of the GPC have been recorded:
	
		
			  Number of incidents  Value  Action taken 
			 13 Less than £10 Monies recovered and warning letters issued 
			 5 £10 to £20 Monies recovered and warning letters issued 
			 2 £20 to £50 Monies recovered and warning letters issued 
			 1 £20 to £50 Charged with Gross Misconduct, monies recovered 
			 1 £50 to £100 Monies recovered and warning letters issued 
			 2 More than £100 Monies recovered and warning letters issued 
			 1 More than £100 Charged with Gross Misconduct, monies recovered

Great Western Railway: Electrification

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the time frame is for the electrification of the Great Western main line from London, Paddington to Bristol  (a) Temple Meads and  (b) Parkway stations.

Paul Clark: The Department for Transport is working closely with the rail industry to examine the case for further rail electrification. A decision on the electrification of the Great Western Main Line will be announced later this year, alongside decisions on the deployment of the new Intercity Express trains.

Heathrow Airport

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department's assessment of the economic case for expansion at Heathrow takes account of projected income from air passenger duty.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The economic case for expansion is set out in the recently published document Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport—Impact Assessment (January 2009). This assessment includes among other things the air passenger duty revenues from additional non-transfer passengers that are forecast to use the additional capacity.
	A copy of the impact assessment is available at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/aviation/heathrowconsultations/heathrowdecision/impactassessment/.

Heathrow Airport

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what account his Department has taken of  (a) mineral reserves contained within the proposed Heathrow Expansion Area and  (b) the possible impact upon the supply of sand and gravel for London's construction industry in its consideration of plans for a possible third runway.

Jim Fitzpatrick: A thorough assessment of historic mapping, aerial photographs and visual appraisal, found that around 43 per cent. of the proposed site area had been quarried for gravel extraction. This assessment is set out on page 31 of the "Adding Capacity at Heathrow - 2008 Historic Environment Appraisal", available at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/aviation/heathrowconsultations/heathrowdecision/historicenvironment/
	No formal assessment has been made of the impact of additional capacity on the supply of sand and gravel for London's construction industry. The impact assessment includes estimates of the costs of construction of a third runway. This is a comprehensive assessment, which includes the cost of sand and gravel, and is available at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/aviation/heathrowconsultations/heathrowdecision/impactassessment/

Olympic Route Network

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which roads in Wandsworth have been identified as part of the Olympic Route Network (ORN), broken down by  (a) core ORN,  (b) venue specific ORN,  (c) alternative routes ORN and  (d) preferred training venues ORN.

Paul Clark: The following table lists the roads in the London borough of Wandsworth that are part of the proposed Olympic Route Network (ORN). Each road is categorised according whether it is part of the venue specific ORN or alternative routes ORN. None of the roads in Wandsworth are part of the core ORN or the preferred training venues ORN.
	
		
			  London  b orough of Wandsworth 
			  Venue Specific ORN
			 A217 Armoury Way all — 
			  Fairfield Street Swandon Way Wandsworth High Street 
			  Old York Road Armoury Way Fairfield Street 
			  Swandon Way all  
			 A219 Wimbledon Park Side West Hill Parkside 
			  Parkside Wimbledon Park Side Borough boundary with Merton 
			 A3 Wandsworth High Street Fairfield Street West Hill 
			  West Hill Wandsworth High Street Wimbledon Park Side 
			 A3205 York Road all — 
			  Parry Street Borough boundary with Lambeth Nine Elms Lane 
			  Nine Elms Lane all — 
			  Battersea Park Road all — 
			 A3209 Putney Bridge Road West Hill Armoury Way 
			 
			  Alternative Route ORN
			 A205 Clapham Common West Side all — 
			  The Avenue Clapham Common North Side Clapham Common South Side 
			 A218 Merton Road Buckhold Road Granville Road 
			  Buckhold Road all — 
			 A219 Tibbett's Ride all — 
			  Putney Hill all — 
			  Putney High Street all — 
			  Putney Bridge Approach Borough boundary with Hammersmith and Fulham Putney High Street 
			 A3 Huguenot Place all — 
			  North Side Wandsworth Common all — 
			  Battersea Rise all — 
			  Clapham Common North Side Borough boundary with Lambeth Battersea Rise 
			  East Hill Marcilly Road East Hill 
			 A3036 Queenstown Road Borough boundary with Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea Battersea Park Road 
			 A3216 Queen's Circus all — 
			  Church Road Borough boundary with Merton Wimbledon Park Road 
			  Granville Road Wimbledon Park Road Merton Road 
			  Marcilly Road all — 
			  Wimbledon Park Road Granville Road Church Road

Railways

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the average level of peak hour overcrowding on trains into the cities of  (a) London,  (b) Manchester,  (c) Leeds,  (d) Sheffield,  (e) Liverpool,  (f) Birmingham,  (g) Glasgow,  (h) Bristol,  (i) Cardiff and  (j) Nottingham in each of the last five years.

Paul Clark: Data are only collected and routinely provided to the Department for Transport by train operators serving the London and South East commuter market. Crowding data have not been consistently collected for the other cities mentioned for the period sought and are not available.
	The information requested for train operators serving the London and South East commuter market is currently published annually in aggregated form by the Office for Rail Regulation within its "National Rail Trends Yearbook" and are available on the Office of Rail Regulation website at:
	www.rail-reg.gov.uk.
	The latest published data relate to passenger counts carried out by train operators in autumn 2007.

Railways: Adlington

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what reasons Network Rail have provided to his Department for re-routing more trains from Adlington to Manchester Victoria as opposed to Manchester Piccadilly under the new timetable introduced on 13 December 2008.

Paul Clark: The Department for Transport in conjunction with Northern Rail, worked through timetable solutions with Network rail, to accommodate the enhanced West Coast timetable. Moving trains to Manchester Victoria was as a result of extra capacity at this station, becoming available. This is seen as an overall improvement which has led to an increase of 45 per cent. in additional capacity on long distance services.

Railways: Delays

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate the financial effect on the economy of delays to rail services in  (a) England and  (b) Yorkshire and the Humber in 2008-09.

Paul Clark: The Department for Transport does not hold the information in the form requested.

Railways: Finance

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what plans he has to increase capital expenditure on rail links as part of the Government's plans to create up to 100,000 new jobs through public works;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of jobs that will be created by increased funding for new rail links in  (a) 2009,  (b) 2010 and  (c) 2011 under the Government's plans to create up to 100,000 new jobs through public works; and what proportion of those jobs he estimates will go to British workers.

Paul Clark: The July 2007 Rail White Paper set out the Government's commitment of £10 billion towards increasing capacity on the rail network over the next five years, including improvements to the infrastructure.
	In the pre-Budget report in November, the Government announced that they are bringing forward £3 billion of capital spending from 2010-11 to 2008-09 and 2009-10. The package included £300 million to accelerate the delivery of up to 200 new carriages to expand capacity on the rail network and an extra £54 million to help enhance the North London rail line to increase the long-term freight capacity of this vital cross-London rail route.
	It is not yet possible to say how many jobs will be created in developing rail links in the next three years but British suppliers will be well placed to compete for this work.

Railways: Finance

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to the answer of 24 November 2008,  Official Report, column 1097W, what the reasons are for the differential treatment of light rail and non-light rail local transport schemes; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Clark: The reason for the difference in local contribution requirements is due to the scale, complexity and cost of light rail projects and the importance of ensuring commitment from promoters.

Railways: Freight

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent steps his Department has taken to encourage support for projects of strategic national importance, with particular reference to rail freight interchanges.

Paul Clark: The Planning Act 2008 creates the framework for a clearer and more efficient system for considering the development of strategic rail freight interchanges. The Department for Transport also makes available capital grants for such infrastructure through the Freight Facilities Grant scheme.

Railways: Freight

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with Ministerial colleagues at the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and HM Treasury on financial support for rail freight interchanges.

Paul Clark: None. Investment in rail freight interchanges is a matter for the private sector. However, the Sustainable Distribution Fund makes funding available through the established Freight Facilities Grant scheme for rail freight interchanges where they remove lorry journeys from the roads.

Railways: Police

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how British Transport Police apply the provisions of section 44 of the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2000 to railway property; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Clark: This information is not held by the Department for Transport but by the British Transport police who can be contacted at: British Transport Police, 25 Camden Road, London NW1 9LN, E-mail:
	parliament@btp.pnn.police.uk

Railways: Police

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what percentage of stops made by British Transport Police on railway property between October 2007 and September 2008 resulted in  (a) an arrest and  (b) a conviction.

Paul Clark: This information is not held by the Department for Transport, but by the British Transport Police who can be contacted at: British Transport Police, 25 Camden Road, London NW1 9LN, E-mail:
	parliament@btp.pnn.police.uk.

Railways: Scotland

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with the Scottish Executive on the financial and planning implications of the recently announced improvements to the rail system from London to Scotland.

Paul Clark: "High Speed Two (HS2) Ltd." will help consider the case for new high speed services from London to Scotland. As a first stage, the company will develop a proposal for an entirely new line between London and the West Midlands, and will report to Ministers by the end of the year. This will include costs and benefits of a proposed route, and financing options.
	The Government intend to work closely with the devolved administrations in respect of the implications of the proposal.
	Statutory consents for any type of cross-border rail project would be handled in accordance with the devolution settlement.

Road Signs and Markings

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance his Department issues to local highway authorities on the use of No Pedestrians signs.

Paul Clark: The Department for Transport's Traffic Signs Manual (Chapter 3—Regulatory Signs) provides detailed guidance to local highway authorities on the correct design and use of the 'pedestrians prohibited' sign. The document is on the Department's website at the following address:
	www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/tss/tsmanual/tsmchapter3.pdf

Road Traffic: Gloucestershire

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions the Department has had with Gloucestershire County Council on the latter's lorry strategy.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport has had no discussions with Gloucestershire county council regarding its lorry strategy.

Rolling Stock

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many new carriages have been procured for  (a) Northern Rail,  (b) London Midland and the preceding franchise covering the West Midlands and  (c) the franchises that provide commuter services in London and the South East in each of the last five years.

Paul Clark: The following number of new carriages have been procured for  (a) Northern Rail,  (b) London Midland and the preceding franchise covering the West Midlands and  (c) the franchises that provide commuter services in London and the South East in each of the last five years.
	
		
			   2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			  (a) 0 0 0 0 0 
			  (b) 120 0 0 219 0 
			  (c) 0 180 220 84 96 
		
	
	The total number of new vehicles procured for commuter services operated by franchises or concessions in England between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2008 is as shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Train operator  Class  Ordered  Number of vehicles  Entry into service 
			 Silverlink (now London Midland) 350/1 August 2004 120 2005 
			 Chiltern Railway 168/2 May 2005 6 2006 
			 SET 395 June 2005 174 2009 
			 South West Trains 450 February 2006 68 2006 
			 TfL 378 August 2006 152 2009 
			 Southern 377/5 May 2007 48 2009 
			 London Midland 350/2 August 2007 148 2008 
			 London Midland 139 November 2007 2 2009 
			 TfL 378 November 2007 36 2010 
			 London Midland 172 December 2007 69 2010 
			 Chiltern Railway 172 January 2008 8 2010 
			 TfL 172 January 2008 16 2010 
			 Southern 377/5 March 2008 44 2009 
			 TfL 378 April 2008 28 2010

Trams: Sheffield

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimates he has made of the cost of the tram-train trial on the Sheffield to Huddersfield line.

Paul Clark: Network Rail will spend £15 million in track improvements and alterations to stations as part of the trial and the Department for Transport will contribute £9 million to fund the operation of the trial.

Travel: Leisure

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what percentage of leisure journeys in Great Britain were taken by those aged  (a) under 16,  (b) between 18 and 19,  (c) between 20 and 24,  (d) between 25 and 34,  (e) between 35 and 44,  (f) between 45 and 59,  (g) 60 and 64,  (h) between 65 and 69 and  (i) 70 years or over in each year since 1997.

Paul Clark: Data from the National Travel Survey on the percentage of leisure journeys made in Great Britain by age from 1996-98 to 2006 are given in the following table.
	
		
			   Age (years)  
			   0-16  17-19  20-24  25-34  35-44  45-59  60-64  65-69  70 and over  Total 
			 1996-98 21 4 7 17 13 19 5 5 9 100 
			 1997-99 21 4 7 16 14 19 5 5 9 100 
			 1998-2000 21 4 7 16 14 19 5 6 9 100 
			 1999-2001 21 4 7 15 14 19 6 6 9 100 
			 2002 22 4 7 13 15 20 6 5 9 100 
			 2003 23 4 6 14 15 19 6 5 9 100 
			 2004 22 4 6 12 15 19 6 6 9 100 
			 2005 23 4 6 13 15 19 6 5 9 100 
			 2006 22 4 6 13 15 20 6 5 9 100 
			  Note: Leisure includes: Visiting friends at private home, Visiting friends elsewhere, Entertainment/public activity, Sport: participate, Holiday: base, Day trip and Other inc. just walk.

Waterloo Station

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his most recent estimate is of the cost of the track works outside Waterloo station required to bring the old Eurostar platforms into use for commuter services; and what the annual cost of maintaining these platforms is.

Paul Clark: Network Rail is currently developing the options and undertaking the detailed cost analysis of carrying out the works to bring the old Eurostar platforms into use for domestic services. The cost analysis should be available in the spring.
	The platforms at Waterloo International are an integral part of the terminal building which is operated and managed by BRB (Residuary) Ltd (BRBR) as a single site. As such it is not possible to accurately determine the cost of maintaining the platforms on a stand alone basis. The total annual costs of managing the entire facility are in the order of £2.5 million. These costs are partially offset by rental income of approximately £340,000 per annum and BRBR are looking for further opportunities to generate income while the terminal is non-operational.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Child Support Agency: Debt Collection

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps the Government takes to monitor the debt collection strategies of bailiffs appointed by the Child Support Agency.

Kitty Ussher: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have therefore asked the Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Government takes to monitor the debt collection strategies of bailiffs appointed by the Child Support Agency. (241926)
	All bailiff firms, including those providing services to the Child Support Agency, must comply with the National Standards for Enforcement Agents, a set of common standards produced by the Government as a code of practice.
	The Child Support Agency also has a framework agreement with its bailiff service providers. This agreement set out the performance standards expected by the Agency and covers operations, compliance and complaints. In addition to a series of formal quarterly contract meetings, to review performance, the Agency remains in close contact with its bailiff service provider in order to resolve issues as they arise.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Child Support Agency: ICT

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects the transfer of historical child maintenance cases on to the Child Support Agency's new system for calculating maintenance payments to be complete.

Kitty Ussher: holding answer 19 January 2009
	The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have therefore asked the Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he expects the transfer of historical child maintenance cases onto the Child Support Agency's new system for calculating maintenance payments to be complete.
	The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission took responsibility for all Child Support Agency functions, assets and people from 1 November 2008. All existing Agency clients have the option either to agree a private maintenance arrangement or to remain within the current schemes until the new gross income statutory maintenance scheme is introduced.
	The Commission expects to introduce the new gross income statutory maintenance scheme in 2011 and all Agency clients on both schemes will then be invited either to apply to the new gross income scheme or to make a private arrangement. It is currently planned that this process will take around three years.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Children: Maintenance

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the  (a) mean and  (b) median number of days was for child maintenance to be sent to parents with care after the non-resident parent had made payment (i) in the most recent period for which figures are available and (ii) over the last three years.

Kitty Ussher: holding answer 18 December 2008
	 The administration of the child maintenance system is a matter for the Commissioner of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the (a) mean and (b) median number of days was for child maintenance to be sent to parents with care after the non-resident parent had made payment in (i) the most recent period for which figures are available and (ii) all such periods over the last three years.
	The information requested is provided in the attached table, which sets out the time between a receipt arriving in the Agency's bank account and the Agency forwarding payment to the parent with care for all cases held on the current computer system (CS2). The table shows at September 2008, the mean and median number of days it has taken for receipts received between September 2006 and September 2009 to be paid out by the Agency to the parent with care. This represents 70% of the Agency caseload. Management information is not available for the 30% of cases held on the old computer system (CSCS).
	The table also shows improvements made since the introduction of the Agency's Operational Improvement Plan in 2006, on the length of time it takes the Agency to allocate maintenance, which includes the minority of payments where there has been significant delay.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.
	
		
			  The mean and median number of days for child maintenance to be forwarded to the parents with care after the non-resident parent made payment, from September 2006-09 
			  Receipt received  Mean days  Median days 
			 September 2006 13.2 2 
			 October 2006 12.0 2 
			 November 2006 11.9 2 
			 December 2006 11.5 2 
			 January 2007 9.9 2 
			 February 2007 9.7 2 
			 March 2007 9.2 2 
			 April 2007 9.3 2 
			 May 2007 8.5 2 
			 June 2007 7.5 2 
			 July 2007 7.4 2 
			 August 2007 7.3 2 
			 September 2007 7.4 2 
			 October 2007 6.9 2 
			 November 2007 5.8 2 
			 December 2007 5.3 2 
			 January 2008 4.7 2 
			 February 2008 4.3 2 
			 March 2008 4.4 2 
			 April 2008 3.9 2 
			 May 2008 4.1 2 
			 June 2008 3.5 2 
			 July 2008 3.4 2 
			 August 2008 2.9 2 
			 September 2008 2.2 1 
			  Notes: 1. Only includes receipts and payments for cases held on the current computer system (CS2) and represents 70 per cent. of the Agency caseload. Management information is not available for the 30 per cent. of cases held on the old computer system (CSCS). 2. Information provided calculates time between receipt arriving in Agency's bank account and the Agency forwarding payment to the parent with care. 3. Mean—the average number of days taken, which will take into account all payments, including the minority of payments where there has been a significant delay, and as such can be significantly altered by a few extreme cases. Median—the middle figure in a series.

Children: Maintenance

Terry Rooney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in what proportion of new claims for  (a) income support and  (b) jobseeker's allowance by parents with care the applicant opted to apply to the Child Support Agency for child maintenance in each of the last three years.

Kitty Ussher: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have therefore asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 21 January 2009:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in what proportion of cases of new claims for (a) income support and (b) jobseeker's allowance by parents with care the applicant opted to apply to the Child Support Agency for child maintenance in each of the last three years.
	Section 6 of the Child Support Act 1991 made provision for a claim to relevant benefits by a parent with care to be treated as an application for child maintenance. Therefore, all parents with care making a new claim to Income Support or Jobseeker's Allowance would be classed as opting to also apply to the Child Support Agency for child maintenance.
	The Child Maintenance and Other Payments Act 2008 repealed Section 6 of the Child Support Act 1991, removing this compulsion for all new claims to benefit from 14 July 2008 and for all existing cases from 27 October 2008. Information on the proportion of parents with care who have made a new claim to Income Support or Jobseeker's Allowance since 14 July 2008 and who subsequently decide to make an application for child maintenance is not yet available.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Crisis Loans: Telephone Services

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what proportion of calls to the Crisis Loan Helpline have been dropped or cut off before being answered in each of the last 12 months;
	(2)  how long it has taken to answer calls to the Crisis Loan Helpline on average in each of the last 12 months.

Kitty Ussher: The information requested is not available.

Departmental Data Protection

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reasons his Department's customer information system does not meet Cabinet Office rules for personal data.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Cabinet Office's requirements for accreditation apply only to IT systems which were introduced after 1 July 2008.

Departmental ICT

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place a copy of his Department's IT strategy in the Library.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Department's IT strategy is available to the public, and will be placed in the Library. It consists of two documents:
	(1) The IS/IT Strategy brief—this document provides the overarching principles the Department will apply to all IT decisions and answers questions regarding how the Department will deliver its IT.
	(2) The Strategy for Business IT Services—this document provides a view of the IT capabilities that are required for the Department's business over a 10-year period and answers questions regarding what the Department will be delivering.

Departmental ICT

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place a copy of his Department's skills framework for IT staff in the Library.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Department uses the Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA), which has been adopted by the Government IT profession. A copy of the current (December 2008) version will be placed in the Library.

Departmental Procurement

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of invoices for goods and services procured from small and medium-sized businesses were paid within 10 days of receipt by  (a) his Department and  (b) the agencies for which his Department is responsible in (i) 2006-07 and (ii) 2007-08; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: Until October 2008 the Department for Work and Pensions was required to monitor and publish payment performance against a 30-day payment target and does not therefore currently publish information about payment within 10 days. However, following the PM's commitment of 8 October that central Government Departments will make payment within 10 days, we will additionally report 10-day payment performance from the period January to March 2009.
	The Department for Work and Pensions does not currently publish information about size of suppliers. We do not discriminate by size because many SMEs can be found within larger supply chains.
	The Department for Work and Pensions welcomes the statement by the Prime Minister at Prime Minister's Questions on 8 October 2008 and the Department has made changes to its payment process in order to meet this commitment as soon as possible.

Housing Benefit

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether representations will be invited from officers in local authorities' strategic housing and homeless services when the local housing allowance is reviewed by his Department.

Kitty Ussher: holding answer 20 January 2009
	 As part of the two year review of the local housing allowance, we have begun to engage with local authorities, including on issues of homelessness. If there is specific written evidence that officers in local authorities' strategic housing and homeless services would like to submit, then this will be welcomed.

Industrial Health and Safety: Arthritis

Linda Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will commission research into the effects on expenditure on benefits of patients with rheumatoid arthritis receiving treatment that enables them to continue to work or return to work.

Jonathan R Shaw: I refer the hon. Member to the oral answer I gave her on 20 October 2008,  Official Report, column 4.

Industrial Health and Safety: Qualifications

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the recommendations of the 2006 Carpenter Report, if he will support a set of core criteria for health and safety pre-qualifications, as a baseline for recognising competences across different pre-qualification schemes.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Government already support a set of core criteria for assessing the competence of individuals and organisations prior to their appointment to carry out construction work. They are set out in the Approved Code of Practice (ACoP) which provides advice on compliance with the provisions of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 (CDM2007). These core criteria are based on the criteria recommended in the Carpenter Report. As well as forming part of the practical advice that the ACoP provides on compliance with the competency provisions of CDM2007, the core criteria aim to provide a basis for simplifying the wide variety of competence assurance schemes operated by the construction industry. Since publication of the ACoP, the Government have supported the work the industry is doing to both raise standards and simplify assessments in this area.

Pension Funds

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect on pensioners of the Government Actuary's decision to reduce draw-down rates from pension funds; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: I have been asked to reply.
	Tables drawn up by the Government Actuary's Department on behalf of HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) determine the rates for income withdrawal rates from pension funds. The current tables took effect on 6 April 2006 and have not subsequently been changed by the Government's Actuary. The tables are used to calculate the maximum level of unsecured pension or alternatively secured pension that may be paid in light of the pensioner's age, gender and the prevailing yield figure on UK gilts. The rates of pension that can be provided using these tables have changed along with movement in gilt yields.
	Flexibility in the withdrawal rules allows pension schemes to pay between 0 and 120 per cent. of amounts shown by the Government Actuary's tables to members under the age of 75, and so, in most cases, to pay as much income as if an annuity had been purchased.

Poverty: Children

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps are being taken to reduce levels of relative child poverty in  (a) the Vale of York and  (b) England.

Kitty Ussher: We have made substantial progress in tackling child poverty. 600,000 children have been lifted out of relative poverty since 1998-99. As a result of the support we have introduced, families with children in the poorest fifth of the population, including those in the Vale of York, are, on average, £4,100 a year better off than in 1997. The measures we announced in the pre-Budget report 2008 will increase this to £4,400 from April 2009. In addition, Government measures over the past two years will result in lifting around a further 500,000 children from relative poverty. Our plans for reducing levels of child poverty in England were set out in 'Ending child poverty: everybody's business' which is available in the Library.

Poverty: Children

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many children classified as being in relative child poverty were of  (a) white,  (b) Pakistani or Bangladeshi and  (c) black non-Caribbean ethnicity in (i) the Vale of York and (ii) England in the latest period for which information is available.

Kitty Ussher: Available information is given in the table. Child poverty statistics, published in the Households Below Average Income series, only allow a breakdown of the overall number of children in relative poverty at Government Office Region level or for Inner or Outer London. This means information for the Vale of York is not available.
	
		
			  Numbers of children living in households with incomes below 60 per cent. of median from 2004-05 to 2006-07 for white, Pakistani/Bangladeshi and black non-Caribbean ethnic groups, before housing costs, England 
			  Ethnic group of household reference person  Number of children (million) 
			 White 1.7 
			 Pakistani/Bangladeshi 0.2 
			 Black non-Caribbean 0.1 
			  Notes: 1. These statistics are based on Households Below Average Income, sourced from the Family Resources Survey. 2. Small differences should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response. 3. The reference period for Households Below Average Income figures are single financial years. Three sample years have been combined as regional single year estimates are subject to volatility. 4. The income measures used to derive the estimates shown employ the same methodology as the Department for Work and Pensions publication 'Households Below Average Income' series, which uses net disposable household income, adjusted (or "equivalised") for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living. 5. Incomes have been equivalised using OECD equivalisation factors. 6. Numbers of children have been rounded to the nearest 100,000 children. 7. Children have been classified according to the ethnic group of the household reference person. The household reference person is classified as the highest income householder without regard to gender. This is consistent with the Households below Average Income publication.  Source:  Households Below Average Income, 2006-07

Social Fund

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the contribution credit unions can make to the delivery of the Government's social fund; and what discussions he has had on this matter.

Kitty Ussher: An informal consultation paper, "Social Fund: A New Approach" was published on 1 December 2008 discussing a number of reforms to the social fund. One of the reforms on which initial views were sought was contracting with credit unions or other external organisations to provide credit in place of social fund loans. The intention is to move from a scheme that provides only loans to people on benefit to one that also connects our customers to organisations with whom they can maintain a relationship when they move off benefit and into work which could include better financial advice and support. The views expressed through the consultation, including those from the Credit Union movement, will inform the next steps in developing this type of scheme.
	In the mean time the Government are taking the opportunity offered by the Welfare' Reform Bill to take powers to work in partnership with organisations capable of delivering interest free external provider social loans.

Social Fund: Greater London

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in each London borough received a crisis loan in each of the last five years.

Kitty Ussher: The information is not available broken down by local authority.

Social Fund: Lancashire

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average time was for decisions to be taken on crisis loan applications in Lancashire in each month of 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Kitty Ussher: The information requested is not available.
	Crisis loan applications for Lancashire are processed at Chorlton benefit delivery centre. However, Chorlton benefit delivery centre does not only process applications from Lancashire.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much the Targeting Benefit Thieves section of his Department's website costs to run each year; and what the initial implementation cost of this section of the website was.

Jonathan R Shaw: There are no separately quantifiable set-up or running costs for the Targeting Benefit Thieves section of the Department's website.
	Maintenance of DWP websites is mostly carried out by the Department's own in-house digital media team. It is not possible for us to quantify internal staff costs, because in most cases, staff are engaged in more than one role. In addition, we are unable to establish accurately our infrastructure costs because they form part of a wider departmental IT contract.
	DWP is currently working with the COI to develop a standardised method for quantifying website costs across Government. We will be implementing this standard from March 2009 in line with the current timetable.

Social Security Benefits: Overseas Residence

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 15 December 2008,  Official Report, columns 419-20W, on social security benefits: overseas residence, what the outcomes of his Department's consideration of the implications of the European Court's decision are for UK citizens who live in another EEA state area or in Switzerland and who wish to claim a disability benefit; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: We expect to set out entitlement conditions for those wishing to claim from abroad shortly. The Directgov website will be updated at that time. The site can be found at:
	www.direct.gov.uk

Social Security Benefits: Overseas Residence

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 15 December 2008,  Official Report, column 420W, on social security benefits: overseas residence, how many of the 1,700 requests for payment of  (a) disability living allowance (care component),  (b) attendance allowance and  (c) carers' allowance made by people who previously lived in the UK and are now living in another EEA state or Switzerland have been granted; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave him on 15 January 2009,  Official Report, column 982W.

Working Conditions: Temperature

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he plans to issue guidelines to employers on reducing exposure of employees to high temperatures in the workplace.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 15 January 2009
	Guidance is already available to employers in 'Heat stress in the workplace. What you need to know as an employer' and in detailed supporting information which is on the Health and Safety Executive website.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Fuel Smuggling

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the quantity of fuel smuggled between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland in the last 12 months.

John Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent estimate he has made of the trends in the level of fuel smuggling into Northern Ireland.

Paul Goggins: Latest HMRC figures indicate that the amount of fuel used but not sourced in NI is reducing. However, the OCTF is not complacent, during 2007-08 HMRC seized 0.82 million litres of fuel, disrupted eight laundering plants and seized 844 vehicles.

Unemployment

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the most recent Northern Ireland quarterly employment survey findings on levels of unemployment in Northern Ireland.

Paul Goggins: While this is a devolved matter for Northern Ireland Ministers, I understand from the statistics that have been published today that the seasonally adjusted number of people claiming unemployment related benefits in Northern Ireland stands at 35,900 which represents an unemployment rate of 4.2 per cent.

Saville Inquiry

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent estimate he has made of the final cost of the Saville inquiry.

Shaun Woodward: I have taken urgent steps to ensure the remaining running costs are kept as low as possible. A package of measures has been agreed with the inquiry to reduce the projected cost by approximately £1 million—a 20 per cent. reduction for the remaining stages. The revised estimated final cost is now £190 million.

Security Situation

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the threat to security in Northern Ireland arising from the recent threat by the Real IRA to fight the long war.

Shaun Woodward: As the Chief Constable and Garda Commissioner have indicated, dissident republicans remain a serious and continuing threat with a determination to kill or injure police officers. These criminal gangs are isolated within the wider community and law enforcement agencies on both sides of the border remain resolute in their determination to tackle such criminality.

Security Situation

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent assessment he has made of the security situation in Northern Ireland.

Shaun Woodward: Dissident republicans remain active and committed to killing or injuring police officers. Progress from loyalists towards decommissioning has been disappointing and I would again encourage them to take advantage of the extension to the decommissioning amnesty.

Public Spending

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions the Government had in June 2008 with representatives of the Democratic Unionist party on public spending in Northern Ireland.

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions the Government had in June 2008 with representatives of the Democratic Unionist party on public spending in Northern Ireland.

Shaun Woodward: I have regular meetings with all the Northern Ireland political parties which cover a range of issues relating to Northern Ireland. These discussions have included the post-devolution policing and justice budget. However, public spending on devolved matters is a matter for the Northern Ireland Executive.

Offenders

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent steps he has taken to strengthen the supervision of offenders following their release from prison.

Paul Goggins: The statutory arrangements for the supervision of offenders are kept under regular review. I am introducing a range of new measures to strengthen the management of offenders and protect the public. This includes: tightening the framework for managing dangerous offenders; increasing the scope of offender supervision; and implementing new technology.

Policing and Justice: Devolution

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what account he plans to take of the discovery of Semtex and detonators in the Republic of Ireland in December 2008 in his plans for devolution of policing and justice responsibility.

Shaun Woodward: While I have no reason to believe this find is inconsistent with the previous comments made by the IMC, the Commission will wish to consider carefully the outcome of the Garda investigation when it is complete.

Economic Situation

Adrian Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on the economic situation in Northern Ireland.

Shaun Woodward: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I have regular discussions with Northern Ireland Ministers on a wide range of subjects including economic matters, which are of course devolved. I met the Minister for Finance and Personnel yesterday to discuss economic matters relating to Northern Ireland.

Departmental Data Protection

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many members of staff in his Department have been  (a) investigated,  (b) suspended and  (c) dismissed for losing (i) memory sticks, (ii) laptop computers, (iii) desktop computers and (iv) mobile telephones belonging to his Department in each year since 1997.

Paul Goggins: There have not been any such cases in the Northern Ireland Office since 1997.

Electronic Equipment

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland with reference to the answer of 12 November 2008,  Official Report, column 1211W, on electronic equipment, for what reasons electronic equipment with a value of more than £1,000 is classed as capital expenditure.

Paul Goggins: Electronic equipment with a value of more than £1,000 is classed as capital expenditure in line with the departmental accounting policy which sets the threshold for capitalising items at £1,000.

Prisoners: Per Capita Costs

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average daily cost of keeping a person in prison in Northern Ireland was in the last period for which figures are available.

Paul Goggins: The average daily cost of keeping a person in prison in 2007-08 was £222.

SCOTLAND

Departmental Written Questions

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland on how many occasions in the last 12 months Ministers in his Department have used their discretion to rule that a parliamentary question for written answer should be answered because it would be in the public interest to do so, even though to do so would exceed the disproportionate cost threshold of £700.

Ann McKechin: The Scotland Office has not answered any written questions when the cost of preparing the answer would exceed the disproportionate cost threshold as the Minister did not believe it to be in the public interest to answer such questions irrespective of cost.

DEFENCE

Armed Forces: Manpower

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the strength of reserve units in Her Majesty's Armed Forces based in Ashford constituency is; and how many personnel from such units have been deployed on operations overseas in the last 12 months.

Bob Ainsworth: There are two Territorial Army sub-units of 103 Battalion REME in Ashford, namely 133 Workshop Company, REME and 103 Battalion REME Stores Section RLC. The units have a strength of 79 and nine personnel respectively. During the last 12 months, five members from those units were deployed on operations overseas.

Departmental Catering

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what  (a) directly-operated and  (b) franchised catering outlets his Department and its agencies provides for staff.

Kevan Jones: This information is not held in the format requested. Catering in MOD establishments is usually provided as part of facility management multi-activity contracts, or is contracted out under the Pay As You Dine initiative. Details of the outlets are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Written Questions

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions in the last 12 months Ministers in his Department have used their discretion to rule that a parliamentary question for written answer should be answered because it would be in the public interest to do so, even though to do so would exceed the disproportionate cost threshold of £700.

Kevan Jones: The information requested is not recorded.

European Fighter Aircraft

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when firm orders will be placed for Tranche 2 and Tranche 3 Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft; in what respects their capabilities will differ from Tranche 1 aircraft; and if he will make a statement.

Quentin Davies: The contract for Typhoon Tranche 2 was signed in December 2004 and the first deliveries of aircraft from that tranche commenced in October 2008.
	Tranche 1 aircraft are optimised for air-to-air combat; an air-to-surface capability has also been integrated and was declared combat ready by the RAF in July 2008. In common with the Tranche 1 specification, Tranche 2 aircraft have air-to-air capability, and an enhanced air-to-surface capability is scheduled to be integrated on Tranche 2 aircraft from 2012. Negotiations with partner nations and industry are continuing on the Typhoon Tranche 3 contract and decisions will be taken once these negotiations are complete.

NATO Response Force

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which units form the British commitment to the NATO Response Force in 2009.

Bob Ainsworth: From January to June 2009, the UK's commitment to the NATO Response Force is a Maritime Component Command Flagship with Destroyer/Frigate escort, Mine Hunter and associated logistic support (an Auxiliary Repair Ship, Support Ship and Logistic Ship Dock (Auxiliary) with Boarding Team); and a Deployable Air Operating Base, four Air Defence Aircraft, four Fighter Bomber Aircraft and four Close Air Support Aircraft together with two Transport Aircraft and up to two Airborne Early Warning Aircraft.
	From July to December 2009, the UK will contribute a Destroyer/Frigate Escort Ship and a Maritime Patrol Aircraft; a Land Component Command Headquarters and associated support, and a Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Company; six Fighter Bomber Aircraft, six Close Air Support Aircraft, two Air-to-Air Refuelling Aircraft, two Transport Aircraft and up to two Airborne Early Warning Aircraft.

Navy: Deployment

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average unit tour interval was for each ship type in the Royal Navy over the last eight years.

Bob Ainsworth: The average tour unit interval by surface ship type, defined as a ship being away from its base port for more than three months, from 2003 for which information is available is as follows (rounded to the nearest month):
	
		
			   Months 
			 Land Platform Dock 17 
			 Landing Platform Dock Helicopter 20 
			 CVS 33 
			   
			  Destroyers  
			 T42 16 
			   
			  Frigates  
			 T22 14 
			 T23 14 
			 Mine Counter Measures Vessels 14 
			 HMS Endurance 5 
		
	
	 Exceptions
	Survey Vessels have up to two and a half year deployments.
	River Class Patrol Vessels on Fishery Protection undertake eight week (approx) taskings.
	Falkland Island Patrol Vessel permanently deployed.

Spearhead Land Element

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which regiment or battalion forms the Spearhead Land Element (SLE); whether it is fully equipped; whether the present SLE is deployed; and when the future SLE will take over from the present SLE.

Bob Ainsworth: The 3rd Battalion The Rifles forms the Spearhead Land Element (SLE), which is not currently deployed. The SLE is currently fully equipped in accordance with the Joint Rapid Reaction Force Directive and operational mounting instructions. The next SLE will be provided by the 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment, who will assume this role from 1 March 2009.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Beaches: Naturists

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what his policy is on the provision of naturist beaches.

Barbara Follett: My officials have consulted colleagues in DEFRA, the Department responsible for beaches, who have advised that there is no specific policy on the provision of naturist beaches.
	However, The Marine and Coastal Access Bill will provide for a new right of access to the English coast and the expectation is that most beaches will be included within this, which will not affect any existing rights or permissions for naturists that may exist on the coast.
	DEFRA officials are arranging a meeting with British Naturism to hear their views on the coastal access proposals.

Byron Review

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many of his Department's staff provided support for the Byron Review.

Barbara Follett: Two members of staff (one at Grade A and one at Grade B) provided support for the review as it was conducted.

Departmental Marketing

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been spent by his Department on advertising in the last 12 months.

Barbara Follett: In the period from 1 December 2007 to 30 November 2008, the amount spent by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on advertising was as follows:  (a) public appointments £142,595;  (b) communications £14,340; and  (c) recruitment £24,343.

Mass Media: Economic Situation

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations he has received on  (a) recent reductions in advertising revenues to (i) television companies, (ii) radio companies and (iii) newspapers and  (b) recent job losses in the media industry; and if he will make a statement.

Barbara Follett: I have received a number of representations from the television, radio and press sectors on a variety of issues affecting the media industry, including advertising revenues and employment. Full details of recent correspondence in these areas could be identified only at a disproportionate cost.

Public Libraries

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what the aggregate scheduled duration of opening for all libraries per 1,000 population in each local authority was in each of the last three years;
	(2)  what proportion of static libraries provided access to  (a) internet services,  (b) broadband internet services and  (c) wi-fi internet services in each local authority area in each of the last three years;
	(3)  how many electronic workstations with access to the internet there were in library service outlets per 100,000 population in each local authority area in each of the last three years;
	(4)  how many library visits were made per 100,000 population in each local authority area in each of the last three years.

Barbara Follett: This information is not held centrally. However, the Public Library Statistics, published annually by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA), contain similar data to that being sought. The House of Commons Library holds copies for the period in question.

Public Libraries: Standards

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what proportion of requests for books from library service points were met within  (a) seven,  (b) 15 and  (c) 30 days in each local authority area in each of the last three years;
	(2)  what proportion of library users aged 16 years and over viewed their library service as very good or good in each local authority area in each of the last three years;
	(3)  what proportion of library users aged under 16 years viewed their library service as good in each local authority area in each of the last three years;
	(4)  how many items were added through purchase to library service outlets per 1,000 population in each local authority area in each of the last three years.

Barbara Follett: The information requested is published annually by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) in Public Library Statistics. The House of Commons Library holds copies for the period in question.

Sports: North East

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps his Department is taking in conjunction with Sport England to promote sport participation projects in the North East to meet regional priorities on health and well-being.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Legacy Action Plan commits to getting 2 million people more active by 2012, and Sport England will deliver 1 million of these through sport. The remaining 1 million is a cross Government target, and Sport England will contribute by making wide links with those involved in promoting physical activity, such as primary care trusts and local authorities, as a platform for many people to become involved in sport.
	Sport England is also funding a Facilities Improvement Service designed to assist selected local authorities with their planning tools and ensure that they take a strategic view of facility provision. This service is currently working with Middlesbrough and Gateshead councils. Sport England will additionally invest up to £10 million per year of capital funding in projects to promote a sustainable approach to community facilities throughout the country, including the north east region.

Sports: Public Participation

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will take steps to  (a) increase levels of participation in sport and  (b) improve the provision of sporting facilities, with particular reference to the North East.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information is as follows:
	 (a) Sport England have developed a strategy to create a world leading community sport system. This strategy will deliver 1 million more people playing sport by 2012. As part of this process Sport England have been working closely with 46 national governing bodies (NGBs) to develop new Whole Sport Plans, giving the experts in each sport the opportunity to shape its strategic direction.
	 (b) Sport England are also funding a Facilities Improvement Service designed to assist selected local authorities with their planning tools and ensure that they take a strategic view of facility provision. This service is currently working with Middlesbrough and Gateshead councils. Sport England will additionally invest up to £10 million per year of capital funding in projects to promote a sustainable approach to community facilities throughout the country, including the north east region.

Tourism

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what reports he has received on the expected level of tourism to the UK in April 2009.

Barbara Follett: VisitBritain produced a Forecast Report in December 2008 which looks ahead to 2009 and considers what is likely to happen to the volume and value of inbound tourism to the UK. The report can be viewed at the following web link:
	http://www.tourismtrade.org.uk/Images/Foresight%2OIssue%2062_tcm12-44469.pdf

Tourism: Coastal Areas

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assistance the Government is providing to coastal towns to increase tourism to such towns in 2008-09.

Barbara Follett: holding answer 20 January 2009
	VisitBritain is funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to promote Britain overseas as a tourist destination and co-ordinate the domestic marketing of England, with VisitEngland which includes the promotion of coastal towns. In addition, this Department has made available a funding package of £45 million (£15 million p.a. over three years) through the Sea Change Programme which aims to catalyse the regeneration of seaside resorts in England through cultural and heritage projects. This programme will not only benefit the local community, but also help boost the visitor economy of resorts. £14.6 million has been made available to 15 resorts through the programme in 2008-09.

WOMEN AND EQUALITY

Local Government: Equality

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality which local authorities have not yet  (a) undertaken and  (b) completed an equal pay review.

John Healey: I have been asked to reply.
	It is for local authorities, as employers, to work actively with the unions to deal with equal pay in an affordable way. Central Government do not have direct involvement. The Local Government Employers organisation monitors progress in local government towards implementation.

Local Government: Equality

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality which local authorities have been permitted to borrow to fund equal pay deals in the last two years; and how much was borrowed in each case.

John Healey: I have been asked to reply.
	On 26 September 2008, £455 million of capitalisation directions were issued to 34 authorities to enable them to make equal pay back-payments and speed up progress on delivering equal pay. The 2008-09 announcement builds on the £500 million of capitalisation directions allocated to 46 authorities in 2007.
	The full list of authorities awarded capitalisation in 2007-08, including the amount of capitalisation used by individual authorities is available at:
	http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/capital/equalpay0708.pdf
	The list for 2008-09 is available at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/news/corporate/977615
	however, the amount of capitalisation used by individual authorities in 2008-09 will be published on the Department's website in September 2009.
	In order to avoid prejudicing ongoing local negotiations details of the amounts sought by authorities or directions issued, have not been published.

HEALTH

Autism: Health Services

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what services are available for adults with autism in  (a) England,  (b) the North East,  (c) Tees Valley and  (d) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland.

Phil Hope: This information is not held centrally.
	At a local level, it is for local health and social care service providers to ensure that people with autism and their carers receive the necessary information and support they require.
	We plan to publish commissioning guidance to support local authorities this spring. It will build on the 2006 document
	"Better services for people with an autistic spectrum disorder: A note clarifying current Government policy and describing good practice", which clarified the nature and intent of Government policy as it relates to adults with an autistic spectrum condition.

Dementia

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps he has taken to facilitate early diagnoses of Alzheimer's disease and dementia on the part of GPs in the last three years;
	(2)  what recent steps he has taken to provide rapid access to effective drug treatment to those diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and dementia.

Phil Hope: The importance of early diagnosis, intervention and care options for people with dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, will be emphasised in the national dementia strategy, which will be published shortly.
	The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published technology appraisal guidance on drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease in September 2007. The guidance recommends a number of drugs for use in the moderate stage of the disease and national health service organisations are now statutorily required to make funding available to implement NICE's recommendations. NICE has also published a clinical guideline on dementia, which we expect NHS organisations to implement over time.

Dementia: Care Homes

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) care homes and  (b) care home places for people suffering from dementia there were in each local authority area in Kent in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: We are informed by the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) that it does not register care homes according to the number of people from a specific client group, such as those suffering dementia. CSCI will register a home as being able to care for at least one person from a particular client group. CSCI is able to produce data from 2004 when it was first established. Information from earlier years is not available centrally.
	The following table shows the numbers of care homes and registered places in Kent county council. Data for other areas within Kent are not available separately.
	
		
			  Care homes and places in Kent 
			   As at 31 March: 
			   2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			   Homes  Places  Homes  Places  Homes  Places  Homes  Places  Homes  Places 
			 All homes 792 15,907 774 15,763 759 15,642 748 15,485 746 15,673 
			 Homes registered to care for people with dementia(1) 122 4,554 125 4,699 127 4,860 131 5,050 134 5,218 
			 (1) Homes do not register the actual number of places they have for each client group. They indicate which groups they can provide at least one place for. The number of registered places shown is the sum of all places in the care home that indicated they provide care for at least one person with dementia.  Source: CSCI database as at 2 May 2008

Dental Services: Hertfordshire

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists in  (a) Hemel Hempstead and  (b) Hertfordshire provide NHS treatment to (i) children and (ii) adults; and how many and what proportion of (A) children and (B) adults in the area received NHS treatment from such dentists in the last 12 months.

Ann Keen: Information is not available in the format requested.
	The numbers of dentists with national health service activity during the years ending 31 March, 2007 and 2008 are available in table G1 of annex 3 of the "NHS Dental Statistics for England: 2007/08" report. Information is provided by strategic health authority (SHA) and by primary care trust (PCT). This information is based on the new dental contractual arrangements, introduced on 1 April 2006.
	Following a recent consultation exercise, this measure is based on a revised methodology and therefore supersedes previously published work force figures relating to the new dental contractual arrangements. It is not comparable to the information collected under the old contractual arrangements. This revised methodology counted the number of dental performers with NHS activity recorded via FP17 claim forms in each year ending 31 March.
	This report, published on 21 August 2008, has already been placed in the Library and is also available on the NHS Information Centre website at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dental0708
	These figures relate to headcounts and do not differentiate between full-time and part-time dentists, nor do they account for the fact that some dentists may do more NHS work than others, or between treatments for adults and children.
	Under the new dental contractual arrangements, patients do not have to be registered with an NHS dentist to receive NHS care. The closest equivalent measure to 'registration' is the number of patients receiving NHS dental services ('patients seen') over a 24-month period. However, this is not directly comparable to the registration data for earlier years.
	The number of patients seen in the previous 24 months in England, as at quarterly intervals, from 31 March 2006 to 30 June 2008 is available in table D1 of annex 3 of the "NHS Dental Statistics, Q1 2008-09" report. Table D2 contains information on the numbers of patients seen as a percentage of the population. Information is provided by PCT and SHA and is available by adult and child patients seen.
	This report, published on 27 November 2008, has already been placed in the Library and is also available on the NHS Information Centre website at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dentalstats0809q1

Health Services: Elderly

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many elderly people have received services under the quality care and support system in  (a) England,  (b) the North East,  (c) the Tees Valley and  (d) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency in each of the last five years.

Phil Hope: The NHS Information Centre for health and social care collects and publishes information on the number of people receiving local authority funded social care in a domiciliary or residential setting in England.
	Information is collected from councils with adult social services responsibilities (CASSRs). Data are not collected centrally at constituency level.
	The following tables show the number of individuals in England aged 65 and over who received domiciliary or residential care funded wholly or in part by councils with adult social services responsibilities as at 31 March of each year.
	
		
			  Number of people aged 65 and over receiving care funded wholly or in part by councils with adult social services responsibilities at 31 March 2008 ,  England 
			  Rounded numbers 
			   2004  2005  2006 
			  Councils with social services responsibilities  Domiciliary care( 1)  Residential care( 2, 3)  Domiciliary care( 1)  Residential care( 2, 3)  Domiciliary care( 1)  Residential care( 2, 3) 
			 England (5)— 213,100 641,900 204,600 652,200 199,300 
			 North East (5)— 15,000 44,400 14,350 45,550 14,300 
			 Darlington (5)— 585 1,425 625 1,410 625 
			 Hartlepool (5)— 550 1,765 505 1,820 490 
			 Middlesbrough (5)— 725 3,130 670 3,085 645 
			 Redcar and Cleveland (5)— 855 2,175 740 2,665 660 
			 Stockton on Tees (5)— 1,045 2,590 1,050 2,775 1,035 
		
	
	
		
			  Rounded numbers 
			   2007  2008( 1) 
			  Councils with social services responsibilities  Domiciliary care( 1)  Residential care( 2, 3)  Domiciliary care( 1)  Residential care( 2, 3) 
			 England 646,500 190,300 661,400 182,200 
			 North East 47,850 13,200 45,750 12,650 
			 Darlington 1,385 530 1,415 590 
			 Hartlepool 1,790 460 1,815 440 
			 Middlesbrough 2,950 630 3,050 655 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 2,495 680 2,675 680 
			 Stockton on Tees 2,805 960 2,885 855 
			 (1 )Data for 2007-08 is provisional. (2) Excludes other unstaffed homes and adult placements. (3 )Data includes clients formerly in receipt of preserved rights. (4 )Data includes Boyd loophole residents. (5 )Not available. Guidance was restated for 2004-05 referrals, assessments and packages of care (RAP) collection and data are not comparable.  Source:  RAP form P2s & SR1 form Table S4

Health Services: Ethnic Groups

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government plans to take in response to the Healthcare Commission's finding in its report, Count Me In, that people from an ethnic minority are more likely to be misdiagnosed, overmedicated and placed in seclusion.

Phil Hope: The Healthcare Commission published its report on the 2008 Count Me In census on 27 November 2008. Count Me In does not collect information about patients' diagnosis or medication. The census reports since 2005 show that there is no consistent picture of differential treatment with regard to seclusion. Different ethnic groups have been recorded as more or less likely to be subject to seclusion each year.
	In 2005 the Department launched 'Delivering Race Equality in Mental Health Care' (DRE). DRE is a five-year action plan designed to improve black and minority ethnic (BME) communities' experience of mental health services.

Hospitals: Parking

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what instructions he has given to trusts to  (a) allow families to reclaim the cost of hospital car parking charges incurred when visiting their children and  (b) provide free car parking bays in hospitals for parents visiting their children.

Ben Bradshaw: Car parking arrangements, including charges, are a matter for individual national health service bodies, based on their own local circumstances. However, guidance from the Department to support trusts in implementing parking policies, issued in December 2006, strongly recommends NHS bodies to provide free or discounted car parking to those patients and their relatives or primary visitors who have to use the car park regularly. The Department reminded NHS bodies of this in November 2008.

Mental Health Services: Prisoners

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Caernarfon of 30 October 2008,  Official Report, column 1245W, how many of the 926 prisoners with mental illness who were transferred from prison to hospital in 2007  (a) remain in hospital,  (b) were returned to prison and  (c) absconded.

Phil Hope: This information is not collected by the Department. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) have supplied information in respect of individual patients with mental illness transferred from the prison service to hospital.
	Further to the answer to the hon. Member for Caernarfon (Hywel Williams) of 30 October 2008,  Official Report, column 1245W, the MoJ have revised their data and report that the number of prisoners with mental illness and who were transferred to hospital in 2007 was 934, not 926.
	Of these 934 patients, 301 remain in hospital, 167 were returned to prison and one patient absconded and is still at large. Of the remaining 465 individuals, 219 were remitted to a court to deal with as unsentenced prisoners who were awaiting a court appearance when transferred to hospital. A further 242 were either not subject to restrictions at the time of transfer, or saw their restrictions expire after transfer, and would have remained in hospital only so long as their mental condition required it. Of the remaining four individuals, one has been deported and three have died.
	These figures include six people who absconded at some point during their stay in hospital and later returned.

Mental Health Services: Prisoners

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has spent on mental health services for prisoners in each  (a) prison and  (b) health authority area in each of the last five financial years; and how many prisoners received such treatment in each of these years.

Phil Hope: Information on spending on mental health services in each prison and health authority between 2002-03 and 2006-07 is shown in the tables, which have been placed in the Library. As of 2007-08, this allocation was baselined to form part of the overall prison health allocation and spending on offender mental health services is no longer referred to separately.
	In addition to this recurrent funding, the Department has made two non-recurrent payments totalling £4.2 million in 2007-08 and 2008-09 to targeted establishments for mental health in-reach services.
	Information on the number of prisoners receiving mental health services is not collected centrally.

Mid Essex Primary Care Trust

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what reasons were reported to him by the Chief Executive of NHS Mid Essex for the decision to change the name of the Mid Essex Primary Care Trust; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested is not held by the Department.
	Primary care trusts (PCTs) have the freedom to choose whether or not they make the transition to the new identity, 'NHS Local' (rather than 'Local' PCT). In order to keep costs to a minimum, we advise that the transition is made when it is practically and economically feasible to do so through planned replacement programmes. This may be by, for example, exhausting existing supplies of stationery and updating property signage.
	You may wish to inquire with your local PCT for further information.

Musculoskeletal Disorders

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the total number of people who are affected by long-standing musculoskeletal problems, broken down by  (a) condition and  (b) age group; and what his Department's definition of a long-standing musculoskeletal problem is.

Ann Keen: A long-standing musculoskeletal problem is defined as a non time-limited medical condition which predominately affects the muscles, joints and skeleton.
	We have made no estimate of the number of people living with long-standing musculoskeletal problems, broken down by condition and age group.

Musculoskeletal Disorders

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate he has made of the proportion of primary care consultations which relate to musculoskeletal complaints, broken down by the proportion relating to  (a) rheumatoid arthritis,  (b) osteoarthritis,  (c) osteoporosis and  (d) other complaints; and what assessment he has made of future trends in this proportion.

Ann Keen: Such information is not held centrally.

Musculoskeletal Disorders: Carers

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to train those carers caring for people with musculoskeletal conditions through  (a) the Caring with Confidence programme and  (b) other means.

Phil Hope: At a national level the training provided by Caring with Confidence is in two forms—generic and 'tailored'. The generic training is relevant to any carer (i.e. including those caring for someone with a musculoskeletal condition) and has been available since August 2008, the 'tailored' training will meet the needs of specific carers i.e. those who are caring for someone with dementia, or caring for someone of black or minority ethnic background, and will become available over the coming months.
	The determination of the carer groups to be provided 'tailored' training was made following consultation with the national carers' charities and providers of training to carers—those with musculoskeletal problems were not identified in this process. Should the need for 'tailored' training for carers of those with musculoskeletal conditions emerge there is flexibility to meet this need within Caring with Confidence's delivery arrangements.
	Carers can also access NHS Choices, which has much information on musculoskeletal conditions.
	At a local level, it is for local health service providers to ensure that people with musculoskeletal conditions and their carers receive the necessary information and support they require.

Musculoskeletal Disorders: Employment Services

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people with musculoskeletal problems have participated in condition management programmes under the Pathways to Work scheme in each year since 2006-07; and what proportion of such participants he estimates returned to work after participation.

Ann Keen: The number of referrals from Jobcentre Plus to the NHS Condition Management Programmes of individuals who had musculoskeletal problems are as follows:
	
		
			   Referrals 
			 2006-07 2,801 
			 2007-08 5,974 
			 2008 to November 2008 4,485 
		
	
	Job outcome figures are not collected for the Condition Management Programme.

Musculoskeletal Disorders: Health Professions

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the extent to which NHS units treating musculoskeletal conditions in England include representatives of the  (a) rheumatology and  (b) orthopaedics medical specialties; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: The Department does not collect centrally information on the representation of different disciplines in musculoskeletal departments. It is for local organisations to decide on the staffing structure of their individual departments. The national musculoskeletal coordinating group includes representation of both the British Society for Rheumatology, British Orthopaedic Association as well as other professional bodies.

Musculoskeletal Disorders: Health Services

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many clinical assessment and treatment services for musculoskeletal conditions there were in the NHS in  (a) 2006 and  (b) 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: The Department does not collect centrally information on the number of clinical assessment and treatment services for musculoskeletal conditions.

Musculoskeletal Disorders: Health Services

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to encourage faster referral from GPs to specialists of patients with serious musculoskeletal problems.

Ann Keen: The Department has developed five orthopaedic commissioning pathways which pertain to musculoskeletal conditions hip pain, knee pain, shoulder pain, chronic pain back pain and carpal tunnel syndrome. These were published as part of 43 18-week commissioning pathways that reflect national good practice. These pathways highlight the types of conditions that need to be referred for specialist assessments as well as stressing clinical urgent conditions (often referred to as red flag patients) that need emergency treatment. A further pathway is currently in development for arthritis.
	The pathways are high-level service models to help support and enable commissioners and service providers to challenge existing practice, utilise service improvement tools and techniques, maximise opportunities for transformational change, provide a catalyst for local discussion and challenge in order to deliver 18-week pathways.
	From the 1 January 2009, the minimum expectation of consultant-led elective services will be that no one should wait more than 18 weeks from the time they are referred to the start of their treatment, unless it is clinically appropriate to do so or they choose to wait longer.

Musculoskeletal Disorders: Surgery

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of patients with musculoskeletal problems were listed for surgery by a clinical assessment and treatment service in each year since 2005.

Ann Keen: The Department does not collect this information centrally.

Neonatal Mortality

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) babies were delivered in each NHS trust and  (b) unexplained neonatal deaths there were in each of the last three years.

Kevin Brennan: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated January 2009:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many (a) babies were delivered in each NHS trust and (b) unexplained neonatal deaths there were in each of the last three years. (248217)
	ONS does not routinely link information on hospitals to their respective trusts. Therefore figures on babies delivered in each NHS trust are not readily available. Data are however available by primary care organisations in England and local health boards in Wales by residence of the mother and these are shown in attached table for 2005-2007 (latest year for which figures are available).
	Figures on unexplained deaths are only available at a national level. Figures for England and Wales are shown in the attached table for 2004-2006 (latest year for which figures are available).
	Copies of the tables are available from the Library of the House.

NHS: Manpower

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff were employed by the NHS in  (a) Hemel Hempstead and  (b) Hertfordshire in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Ann Keen: Information is not available in the format requested. The following table shows the number of staff employed in Hertfordshire.
	
		
			  Number (headcount) 
			   Total specified organisations( 1)  East and North Hertfordshire PCT  East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust  West Hertfordshire PCT  West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust  Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Trust 
			 All Staff 15,979 3,164 5,438 3,271 3,929 177 
			  Of which:   
			 General Practice (GP) 3,037 1,474 — 1,563 — — 
			 All General Practitioners 750 340 — 410 — — 
			 Practice nurses 412 203 — 209 — — 
			 Other practice staff 1,875 931 — 944 - — 
			 Medical and dental staff 1,325 27 625 19 477 177 
			 Non-medical staff(2) 11,617 1,663 4,813 1,689 3,452 — 
			 Professionally qualified clinical staff 6,105 835 2,551 926 1,793 — 
			 Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff 4,531 548 1,971 642 1,370 — 
			 Qualified scientific, therapeutic and technical staff (ST and T) 1,574 287 580 284 423 — 
			 Qualified Allied Health 898 272 196 262 168 — 
			  Professions   
			 Qualified Healthcare Scientists 364  208 1 155 — 
			 Other qualified scientific, therapeutic and technical staff 312 15 176 21 100 — 
			 Support to clinical staff 3,323 357 1,247 577 1,142 — 
			 Support to doctors and nursing staff 2,676 311 988 510 867 — 
			 Support to ST and T staff 647 46 259 67 275 — 
			 National health service infrastructure support 2,172 467 1,015 173 517 — 
			 Central functions 1,386 351 604 84 347 — 
			 Hotel, property and estates 445  356 2 87 — 
			 Managers and senior managers 341 116 55 87 83 — 
			  Other staff or those with unknown   
			 Classification 17 4 — 13 — — 
			 Unknown 17 4 — 13 — — 
			 (1) Workforce data is not available at parliamentary constituency area, nor by broad geographical regions. Hemel Hempstead constituency and the area of Hertfordshire are contained within and served by the trusts and organisations provided here. (2) Figure excludes medical hospital practitioners and medical clinical assistants, most of whom are GPs working part time in hospitals.  Data quality Workforce statistics are compiled from data sent by more than 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts (PCTs) in England. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data. Processing methods and procedures are continually being updated to improve data quality. Where this happens any impact on figures already published will be assessed but unless this is significant at national level they will not be changed. Where there is impact only at detailed or local level this will be footnoted in relevant analyses.  Source: The Information Centre for health and social care General and Personal Medical Services Statistics The Information Centre for health and social care Medical and Dental Workforce Census The Information Centre for health and social care Non-medical Workforce Census

NHS: Pensions

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer of 1 September 2008,  Official Report, column 1751W, on the NHS Pensions Agency: resource accounting and benefits, for what reason the NHS pension scheme resource accounts were not published between the 2008 summer recess and the end of the 2007-08 Session; and when he plans to publish them.

Ann Keen: In his written ministerial statement of 16 December 2008, my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster referred to overpayments made to pensioners of public sector pension schemes, including the NHS pension scheme.
	The NHS pension scheme accounts contain reference to these overpayments. The decision was taken not to publish the accounts until such time as we had sufficient information to be able to inform the pensioners. Critical to this decision was the need to avoid unnecessary public concern among the vast majority of national health service pensioners who were entirely unaffected, but who would not have known that had a general announcement been made. Letters were sent to affected pensioners on 15 December and the statement, formally notifying Parliament of the overpayments, was made on 16 December.
	The accounts will be now be laid before the statutory deadline of 31 January 2009.

NHS: Resignations

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many chief executives of NHS trusts left their posts in the last 12 months, broken down by reason for departure.

Ann Keen: This information is not collected centrally.

NHS: Temporary Employment

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many agency staff each NHS trust has used in each of the last 10 years; and at what cost in each such year.

Ann Keen: The number of agency staff used by each national health service trust is not collected centrally.
	A table which shows agency spend for each NHS trust for 2001-02 to 2007-08 has been placed in the Library. Data are not available prior to 2001-02.

NHS: Training

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what requirements are placed on students in receipt of NHS bursaries to work within the NHS.

Ann Keen: Healthcare students are encouraged and supported to develop at least some of their career within a national health service setting, however, they are not obliged to do so, it is a matter for the individual.
	A review of NHS student support was announced in Lord Ara Darzi's "A High Quality Workforce: NHS Next Stage Review" (30 June 2008). A copy of the review has already been placed in the Library. The Department is working in partnership with key stakeholders to undertake the review of existing arrangements for NHS student support and will consider a wide range of options for NHS student support in the future.

Osteopathy

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many osteopaths have been added to the any willing provider lists held by primary care trusts to date.

Ann Keen: This information is not collected centrally.

Out-patients

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many outpatient appointments were missed  (a) in England and  (b) in each NHS trust in each year since 1997-98.

Ben Bradshaw: The data requested have been placed in the Library.

Pharmacy

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of  (a) all medicines dispensed in the community and  (b) all medicines for the treatment of musculoskeletal conditions dispensed in the community have been prescribed by supplementary prescribers in each year since 2004-05.

Phil Hope: The Department does not collect specific information that differentiates prescriptions written by supplementary prescribers.

Physiotherapy

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the proportion of self-referrals of patients to physiotherapists which were found to be inappropriate in the last three years.

Ann Keen: No estimates have been made centrally. It is for primary care trusts in partnership with local stakeholders, including practice based commissioners, local government and the public to determine where self-referral is clinically appropriate.

Prescriptions

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department provides to healthcare professionals on preventing, prescribing and dispensing errors in relation to immunosuppressant therapies.

Ann Keen: The National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) reviews medication errors on an ongoing basis, and prioritises the production of guidance and recommendations based on the level of harm reported to its Reporting and Learning System (RLS), other national and international reporting systems and published literature.
	The Agency has also produced a series of design guides in the 'Design for Patient Safety' series, which aim to improve the labelling, and packaging of pharmaceutical products. A copy has been placed in the Library. These have been issued to pharmaceutical companies to assist them produce products that minimise the risk of miss-selection and other patient safety incidents. These materials are also used by national health service (NHS) medicines procurement groups to purchase products which are safer in use. A design guide on The Dispensing Environment which identifies ways that good design of the dispensing environment can help improve the accuracy of the dispensing process has also been produced by the NPSA.
	The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has, as part of an European Union-wide action on two specific immunosuppressant therapies, agreed to send a 'dear Doctor/Healthcare Practitioner letter' to the relevant NHS staff, and made proposals for changes to the packaging for Advagraf to emphasise that it differs from Prograf. In addition, MHRA included the issue in their December edition of the Drug Safety Update, with a further article in the January 2009 edition. These should help to make prescribers, pharmacists, and patients aware of the brand being prescribed, whatever the manufacturer, and the associated dose regimen. MHRA has also highlighted the issue to other information providers, including the British National Formulary and the National Prescribing Centre.

Rehabilitation

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the proportion of NHS rehabilitation services which have been provided  (a) in the community and  (b) in institutional settings in each year since 1997-98.

Phil Hope: No estimate has been made of the proportion of rehabilitation services provided in the community and in institution settings.

Shoulder Replacements

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which NHS trusts performed between one and 12 shoulder replacements inclusive in the latest year for which figures are available, as recorded by the Hospital Episodes Statistics database.

Ann Keen: The requested information has been placed in the Library.

TREASURY

Banks: Regulation

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what steps the Government have taken to encourage banks to assist mortgage payers made unemployed;
	(2)  what recent steps the Government have taken to assist people paying their mortgages.

Ian Pearson: The Government have announced a new Homeowner Mortgage Support scheme, which will enable households that experience a significant and temporary loss of income as a result of the economic downturn to defer a proportion of the interest payments on their mortgage for up to two years.
	The Government have also launched a mortgage rescue scheme to help borrowers facing repayment difficulties remain in their homes and this scheme has been extended to include second charge lending. Local authorities and housing associations can either buy a property and then rent it back to them, or buy a share of the property to reduce the household's overall mortgage costs.
	The Government also provides direct support to individuals through Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI), which is available to those out of work and pensioners. As a temporary measure, the waiting period has been cut to 13 weeks for all new working age claimants and the Government are broadening the reach of the scheme by increasing the size of the mortgage for which support is payable to £200,000.
	The Government have also extended the provision of free impartial debt advice with measures announced in the pre-Budget report.

Construction: Finance

Lorely Burt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he plans to take to ensure that the £3 billion capital spending which is being brought forward results in construction activity; and which projects will receive a portion of such funds.

Yvette Cooper: The £3 billion of capital spending brought forward aimed to support a number of different industries and jobs around the country, including through construction activities.
	For example, the capital spend being brought forward by the Department for Children, School and Families will provide opportunities for small businesses locally and allow schools and children to benefit early from important projects to further improve school buildings. Decisions on how the funds will actually be used will be made at the local level to meet local priorities.
	Details on the capital projects to be funded by the £3 billion spending package can be found in the 2008 pre-Budget report, paragraph 6.13.
	Departments are currently working to ensure this money is spent in the appropriate manner and the Treasury is monitoring the development of the capital projects included in the £3 billion package.

Departmental Personnel

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are  (a) his Department's and  (b) HM Revenue and Customs' definition of pre-surplus staff; and what the criteria are under which an individual is added to the pre-surplus staff database.

Angela Eagle: In HM Revenue and Customs, when it becomes clear that work is reducing in a location and the number of posts needed to carry out the work is likely to reduce, senior managers within HMRC will assess whether their business will have a potential staff surplus. Wherever possible, the aim will be to manage the situation before declaring staff pre-surplus. Only permanent HMRC staff are eligible for pre-surplus status.
	Where senior managers identify that there is a potential staff surplus they will consult with staff and the unions representing the staff affected, then commence pre-surplus measures. Those measures will include working with other senior managers and HR Business Partners to consider all the options for managing the potential pre-surplus situation.
	Staff can be declared pre-surplus in two ways.
	All staff in a particular grade, team or location could be declared pre-surplus. Once there has been a sufficient reduction in staff numbers, the remaining staff will no longer have pre-surplus status.
	Alternatively, when a specific reduction is needed quickly, senior managers could run a selection exercise to identify which members of staff will fill posts to be retained. The remaining staff are then made pre-surplus.
	Once declared pre-surplus, individual staff are added to the pre-surplus database. This ensures they are given priority access to vacancies within HMRC, and vacancies in other Government Departments.
	HM Treasury does not use the term 'pre surplus' nor has any equivalent category.

Departmental Written Questions

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on how many occasions in the last 12 months Ministers in his Department have used their discretion to rule that a parliamentary question for written answer should be answered because it would be in the public interest to do so, even though to do so would exceed the disproportionate cost threshold of £700.

Angela Eagle: Information relating to Ministers' consideration of parliamentary questions is not held in the format requested.

Fisheries: Tax Yields

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of the contribution of the fishing industry to the Exchequer.

Angela Eagle: Comprehensive information is not available.
	Available information is given as follows:
	Income tax (IT) and national insurance contributions (NIC): relevant information is available for income tax (IT) and class 1 contributions deducted through PAYE. These estimates are set out in the table.
	
		
			  Fishing 
			   PAYE deductions of IT and class 1 NICs (£ million) 
			 2002-03 19 
			 2003-04 21 
			 2004-05 21 
			 2005-06 21 
			 2006-07 23 
			 2007-08 24 
		
	
	The estimates for the fishing industry are set out in the following table:
	
		
			   CT liability (£ million) 
			 2001-02 14 
			 2002-03 15 
			 2003-04 15 
			 2004-05 13 
			 2005-06 18 
			 2006-07 29 
		
	
	VAT—Most outputs from the UK agricultural sector fall under the VAT zero rate for food and as such the sector overall receives VAT repayments. The latest data on net receipts for the sector "Fishing and Fish Farms and Related Service Activities" for 2005 is published in the VAT fact sheet:
	http://www.uktradeinfo.com/index.cfm?task=factvat
	HMRC does not collect information on excise duties and other taxes attributable to purchases of fuel, alcohol etc. by the fishing industry.

Gift Aid

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his Department's projection is of the amount of gift aid that will be paid to charities in each of the next three years; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: Information on the cost of gift aid tax relief can be found at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/charities/table10-2.pdf

Income Tax

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he plans to announce changes to the Government's policy on income tax before the forthcoming Budget.

Stephen Timms: The 2008 pre-Budget report set out the key parameters of the income tax, national insurance and tax credits system for the coming year (2009-10) in the usual way. It also announced the Government's next set of reforms to the tax and benefit system, providing additional help for low and middle income families this year, and setting out changes to income tax and national insurance contributions in 2010-11 and 2011-12.

Landfill Tax

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much landfill tax was paid by each local authority in  (a) 2007-08 and  (b) 2008-09 to date.

Angela Eagle: It is not possible using landfill tax receipts data to determine how much revenue is received from local authorities. This is because registered landfill site operators pay the tax to HM Revenue and Customs and pass on the cost to their customers through the disposal charges they set. The origin of the landfilled waste is not recorded on the tax return.

Landsbanki

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reasons he did not ask the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to make full repayment of depositors' monies in Landsbanki a condition of the IMF loan to Iceland.

Ian Pearson: On 19 November the IMF announced the approval of a $2.1 billion two-year loan for Iceland to support an economic recovery program to help Iceland restore confidence in its banking system and stabilise its currency. This includes Iceland's commitment to
	"ensuring the fair and equitable treatment of depositors and creditors of the intervened banks"
	and Iceland's recognition of its obligations to depositors under the EC Deposit Guarantee Scheme Directive.
	Details of the stand-by arrangement are available from the IMF website:
	http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/cat/longres.cfm?sk=22513.0

Landsbanki

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress the Government have made in negotiations with the Icelandic government on the return of funds lost by the depositors in Landsbanki Guernsey.

Ian Pearson: Landsbanki Guernsey is a subsidiary of the Icelandic parent company, Landsbanki. Landsbanki Guernsey is in administration and is subject to arrangements in Guernsey.
	In line with usual constitutional arrangements, the Government will represent the Crown Dependencies in its negotiations with the Icelandic authorities. The focus of the negotiations is to ensure Iceland honours its obligations to depositors under the EC Deposit Guarantee Scheme Directive and ensures the fair and equitable treatment of creditors.
	The IMF stand-by arrangement to Iceland, agreed on 19 November, includes Iceland's commitment to
	"ensuring the fair and equitable treatment of depositors and creditors of the intervened banks".

Members: Correspondence

Christopher Chope: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to reply to the letter of 25 November 2008 from the hon. Member for Christchurch on behalf of Mr Richard Bell.

Ian Pearson: Due to the large volume of correspondence received on these issues there has been a delay in sending some responses. The Financial Services Secretary hopes to be in a position to reply to the hon. Member shortly.

Mortgages: Interest Rates

John Baron: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department is taking to encourage lenders to pass on recent Bank of England interest rate cuts to mortgage holders.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 20 January 2009
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Coventry, South (Mr. Cunningham) on 26 November 2008,  Official Report, column 1900W.

National Insurance Contributions

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many letters have been sent in error by HM Revenue and Customs wrongly advising individuals that they have made insufficient national insurance contributions in respect of the financial year 2006-07.

Stephen Timms: The exercise to issue contributors with deficiency notices advising them of shortfalls in their national insurance contributions for the tax year 2006-07 started on the 31 August 2008 and ended on the 12 January 2009. A total of 2,862,065 letters were issued. No information is held on the number sent in error.

National Insurance Fund

Hugo Swire: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how surplus funds from the National Insurance Fund have been allocated over the last five years.

Stephen Timms: Under the provisions of Section 161(3) of the Social Security Administration Act 1992, any surplus in the NIF is invested by the Commissioners for the reduction of the national debt (CRND) The role of the CRND is (in accordance with section 161(3) of the Social Security Administration Act 1992) to invest money which is paid over from the fund.

Public Expenditure

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the Government's total expenditure on  (a) services to the public and  (b) services purchased by the Government has been in each year since 1997-98.

Yvette Cooper: Total Managed Expenditure (TME) is a measure of total public sector current and capital spending drawn from the National Accounts. It therefore represents total government spending on providing services to the public. TME has most recently been published in Table B1 of the monthly Public Sector Finances Databank at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/psf_statistics.htm.
	The purchase of services by the public sector is not separately identified from the purchase of goods. The combined figures were most recently published in Table 5.6 of Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses (PESA) 2008, available at
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/pespub_pesa08.htm.
	These figures, as with most in PESA08, are available back to 2002-03. Figures for previous years are not available on a consistent basis.

Sustainable Development: Finance

Colin Challen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to page 125 of the pre-Budget report for 2008, which three years are to be covered by the £50 million of funding for the low-carbon sector; and if he will break down this funding by  (a) year and  (b) project.

Angela Eagle: The figure of £50 billion brings together Government spending, fiscal support and private investment driven by Government regulation in energy efficiency, renewable energy technologies and public transport over the period of the comprehensive spending review (2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11). The estimated breakdown for the full three-year period is set out by theme, as follows:
	 Technology support
	Estimated at £1,200 million including the domestic Environmental Transformation Fund, Research Councils, Technology Strategy Board, Carbon Trust, Energy Technologies Institute and Enhanced Capital Allowances.
	 Renewables support
	Estimated at £5,800 million including private sector investment in renewables and the renewables obligation.
	 Energy efficiency
	Estimated at £9,800 million, made up of CERT, the Community Energy Saving Programme, Warm Front, Decent Homes, the Energy Saving Trust, Smart metering for SMEs and public sector sites, Reduced VAT for Energy Savings Materials, Landlord Energy Savings Allowance, incentives for thermal insulation in industrial installations, and the value of CCL exemptions.
	 Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from municipal waste
	Estimated at £2,200 million including PFI programme and capital grants to local authorities for recycling.
	 Transmission and electricity distribution infrastructure
	Estimated at £7,600 million, including funding to link low carbon power generators to the national grid.
	 Public transport and  low carbon and electric vehicles
	Estimated at £23,200 million including spending on rail, Crossrail, TFL and public transport in the devolved Administrations, as well as spending on low carbon and electric vehicles.
	The figure published is not exhaustive as it does not include:
	The value of 'EU ETS allowances' over this period;
	'R and D tax credits' for low carbon R and D;
	The significant low carbon investment by 'local authorities' or much of the investment by 'devolved Administrations' and 'RDAs';
	Low carbon investment driven 'by building standards regulations';
	Low carbon investment driven by 'minimum efficiency standards' for products;
	Investment in the 'gas distribution grid' even where this brings new homes on to the gas grid, replacing higher CO2 oil heating systems;
	'Stamp duty exemption' for new zero carbon homes;
	'Enterprise Investment Scheme' (EIS) and 'Venture Capital Trusts';
	Private or public sector spend on other low carbon electricity sources, such as 'nuclear' or preliminary work on the demonstration of 'carbon capture and storage'; and
	'UK spend on low carbon technologies in developing countries'.

Tax Credit

Paul Goodman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in how many cases relating to tax credits the Parliamentary Ombudsman has found maladministration as part of the Adjudicator's Office in each year for which figures are available.

Stephen Timms: In 2007-08, the ombudsman accepted 68 complaints against the Adjudicator for investigation. Further details, including a breakdown of tax credits cases is available upon request to the ombudsman, an officer of Parliament.

Tax Havens: Research

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to questions 245836, 245837, 245838 and 245839, how much was spent on the research study to explore customer experiences of the offshore disclosure facility before work was halted.

Stephen Timms: The postal cost incurred as a result of HMRC writing to potential participants was £640. The only other HMRC cost was a limited amount of staff time.

Taxation: Business

David Gauke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many businesses have  (a) sought and  (b) been granted a deferral of tax liability by HM Revenue and Customs since the pre-Budget report 2008 was published.

Stephen Timms: HMRC's business payment support service is a demand-led service, available to businesses seeking to defer payment of taxes owed. It is currently receiving, on average, 1,000 calls each day from businesses. Since the introduction of the service at the pre-Budget report, it has helped over 20,000 businesses spread tax payments worth over £350 million through time to pay agreements.

VAT

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment has been made of the effect on the economy of recent changes to value added tax rates; what recent representations he has received on this issue; from whom; what responses he gave; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: We reduced the standard rate of Value Added Tax to 15 per cent. from 1 December 2008 to 31 December 2009 as part of a wider fiscal stimulus putting £12.5 billion back into the economy. It would be premature to attempt to make an assessment now of the effect of this 13 month reduction in stabilising the economy.
	We have received numerous representations from businesses, business representatives and consumers on issues associated with the reduction in the rate of value added tax to 15 per cent. and its impact. We are acknowledging comments and responding to specific queries.

VAT

David Gauke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of the cost to the Exchequer of the reduction in value added tax announced in the pre-Budget report 2008 in the next 12 months.

Stephen Timms: The estimated cost of the temporary reduction in the standard rate of VAT remains as published in table B5 of the 2008 pre-Budget report.

VAT

David Gauke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many businesses have paid value added tax (VAT) receipts to the Exchequer since the pre-Budget report was published; and what estimate he has made of the effect on consumer spending of the reduction in VAT announced in the pre-Budget report 2008.

Stephen Timms: The total number of VAT registered traders is available from the VAT National Statistics bulletin published at:
	http://www.uktradeinfo.com/index.cfm?task=bullvat
	An assessment of the anticipated impact of the reduction in the VAT rate on consumer spending behaviour can be found in paragraphs 2.40 to 2.45 in the 2008 pre-Budget report.

VAT: Innovation

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received on the levying of value added tax on payments made to projects under the New Technologies Demonstrator Programme.

Stephen Timms: Treasury Ministers and officials receive representations from a wide range of organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such representations.

Welfare Tax Credits

Bob Spink: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of people in  (a) Castle Point constituency,  (b) Essex and  (c) England are claiming (i) childcare tax credit and (ii) working tax credit.

Stephen Timms: Take-up rate estimates for the childcare element are not available, and take-up rates of working tax credit are only available down to regional level.
	Information on the average number of in-work families benefiting from the childcare element in the areas mentioned based on final family circumstance and incomes is published in the HMRC publication "Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics. Finalised Annual Awards 2006-07 Geographical analyses". This publication is available on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-quarterly-stats.htm
	Estimates of child and working tax credit take-up rates for 2005-06, which are the latest available estimates, are published on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-take-up.htm
	Take-up rates for working families with children at regional level are shown in table 9.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Assaults on Police

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many recorded offences of assault on a police constable per 100,000 population there were in each police force area in each year from 2005 to 2007.

Vernon Coaker: The available information on recorded offences relates to 2005-06 to 2007-08 and is given in the following table. The data covers offences of assault without injury on a police constable. Offences in which police officers suffer injury will be recorded as a more or less serious wounding offence depending on the severity of the injury sustained.
	
		
			  Recorded offences of assault without injury on a constable per 100,000 population 
			   Rate per 100,000 population 
			  Police force area  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Avon and Somerset 56 56 47 
			 Bedfordshire 50 56 19 
			 Cambridgeshire 58 41 46 
			 Cheshire 36 37 35 
			 Cleveland 52 54 70 
			 Cumbria 44 41 52 
			 Derbyshire 13 15 13 
			 Devon and Cornwall 20 29 24 
			 Dorset 42 31 34 
			 Durham 51 50 37 
			 Dyfed-Powys 42 49 49 
			 Essex 41 25 27 
			 Gloucestershire 52 43 36 
			 Greater Manchester 45 37 28 
			 Gwent 43 61 57 
			 Hampshire 51 53 55 
			 Hertfordshire 60 53 50 
			 Humberside 50 47 47 
			 Kent 44 47 39 
			 Lancashire 53 46 44 
			 Leicestershire 49 35 32 
			 Lincolnshire 29 36 39 
			 London, City of (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 Merseyside 50 53 59 
			 Metropolitan Police 40 45 43 
			 Norfolk 49 46 44 
			 Northamptonshire 42 39 31 
			 Northumbria 44 46 26 
			 North Wales 27 33 37 
			 North Yorkshire 55 37 44 
			 Nottinghamshire 31 34 31 
			 South Wales 40 34 32 
			 South Yorkshire 33 37 39 
			 Staffordshire 60 40 40 
			 Suffolk 48 43 45 
			 Surrey 33 34 34 
			 Sussex 52 50 55 
			 Thames Valley 41 37 36 
			 Warwickshire 49 55 55 
			 West Mercia 25 23 23 
			 West Midlands 13 13 12 
			 West Yorkshire 39 40 31 
			 Wiltshire 22 16 17 
			 England and Wales 41 40 37 
			 (1) Not applicable because of the resident population relative to the transient population.

Community Relations: Finance

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funds  (a) her Department,  (b) the Association of Chief Police Officers and  (c) police authorities contributed to local authority Preventing Violent Extremism projects in 2008, broken down by local authority; and if she will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The information is not available broken down in the form requested as the funding covers a range of national, regional and local projects. The Home Office has announced £23.3 million in 2008-09.
	£12.5 million was announced in June 2008:
	£1 million for the Channel Project.
	£3.5 million to youth offending teams and youth secure establishments on new work to prevent violent extremism, focused on supporting young individuals who have had contact with the criminal justice system.
	£7.25 million to the National Offender Management Service and partner agencies, including ACPO, to do further work in prisons and the community to tackle vulnerability to radicalisation among offenders.
	£750,000 for the Home Office to fund further grass-roots projects aimed at tackling radicalisation.
	A further £10.8 million was announced in December 2008:
	£5 million for local authorities, Government offices and the police in support of work in schools and colleges.
	£5.8 million over the current CSR (£2.6 million for 2008-09) to fund a wide range of projects to disrupt radicalisers, strengthen institutions and support vulnerable individuals.
	Funding was made available to a range of Prevent delivery partners, including but not exclusively, local authorities.
	In addition to this, I announced that the Home Office is funding more than 300 new Prevent police posts over three years. £16 million will be spent this year creating new posts across 24 priority forces.
	Information about other funds which may have been allocated by police authorities is not held centrally.

Community Relations: Finance

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how the £5.8 million fund to disrupt violent extremism will be distributed in 2009-10 and 2010-11; what the breakdown between local and regional projects will be; what type of projects the fund will be used for; what the criteria for making grants will be; how the grants will be evaluated; who will administer the fund; and if she will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: £5.8 million will be provided to 33 projects, nationally, regionally and locally between 2008-11. This amounts to £2.275 million in 2009-10 and £918,000 in 2010-11. Of these 33 projects, four are national projects, 12 are regional projects and 17 are local projects. All funding is aimed at delivering objectives 2 and 3 of the Prevent strategy which seeks to:
	disrupt those who promote violent extremism projects and support the institutions where they may be active; and
	support individuals vulnerable to recruitment by violent extremists.
	The projects span a variety of fields, from building the local capacity to provide interventions to vulnerable individuals, educational projects, regional immigration pilots, work in prisons, probation and the education sector as well as training and awareness for front-line staff.
	Grants are administered by the most appropriate body, for example Government Offices, ACPO or the Home Office. All funding is subject to regular reporting and we ensure each project provides the Home Office reasonable access to data and documentation, and commits to value for money.

Crime Prevention

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what pilot projects to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour have been launched by her Department since 1 January 2006.

Alan Campbell: Trialling or piloting systems and processes, or their component parts, is normal practice throughout the lifecycle of projects large and small. Full records of all pilot projects since 1 January 2006 are not held centrally and could be collated only at disproportionate cost.

Crime: Computers

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convictions have resulted from investigations where police remotely accessed one or more personal computers in each of the last five years.

Vernon Coaker: The information requested is not available.
	Data on court proceedings reported to the Ministry of Justice does not contain information on the investigations that precede them.

Crime: Statistics

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the Answer of 1 September 2008,  Official Report, column 1538W, on crime: statistics, how many  (a) offences of soliciting for the purposes of prostitution,  (b) incidents of prostitution-related activity and  (c) incidents of youth-related anti-social behaviour were recorded by each police force in each of the last five years.

Alan Campbell: The available information is given in the following tables. Table 1 gives the number of recorded offences of soliciting for the purposes of prostitution for 2003-04 to 2007-08. Table 2 gives the number of incidents of prostitution related activity. This data has been provided by the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) and is only available for 2007-08. Data in table 3 relates to incidents of antisocial behaviour (ASB). This information has again been provided by NPIA and is only available for 2007-08.
	The response given on 1 September 2008 stated that data on the number of 'youth-related ASB' is being collected. NPIA have informed officials that this data is not currently collected centrally.
	
		
			  Table 1: Recorded offences of soliciting for the purposes of prostitution 
			  Number of offences 
			  Police force area  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Avon and Somerset 28 50 52 98 80 
			 Bedfordshire 7 27 25 27 75 
			 British Transport Police 5 3 0 2 0 
			 Cambridgeshire 1 1 0 0 1 
			 Cheshire 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Cleveland 209 204 74 101 74 
			 Cumbria 0 0 0 1 0 
			 Derbyshire 28 26 20 6 28 
			 Devon and Cornwall 5 2 0 0 0 
			 Dorset 28 8 28 46 14 
			 Durham 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Dyfed-Powys 0 1 0 0 0 
			 Essex 9 5 5 0 0 
			 Gloucestershire 0 0 0 1 0 
			 Greater Manchester 62 3 34 67 105 
			 Gwent 0 1 0 0 0 
			 Hampshire 31 38 38 26 18 
			 Hertfordshire 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Humberside 3 3 21 2 0 
			 Kent 13 10 17 34 58 
			 Lancashire 31 19 3 3 0 
			 Leicestershire 4 2 1 10 10 
			 Lincolnshire 0 0 0 1 0 
			 London, City of 0 0 0 1 0 
			 Merseyside 1 8 0 2 0 
			 Metropolitan Police 939 916 806 317 244 
			 Norfolk 14 5 1 1 26 
			 Northamptonshire 18 53 29 88 144 
			 Northumbria 1 0 0 0 0 
			 North Wales 0 0 0 0 0 
			 North Yorkshire 0 0 1 1 0 
			 Nottinghamshire 45 118 142 148 119 
			 South Wales 5 6 2 3 10 
			 South Yorkshire 114 64 54 76 47 
			 Staffordshire 31 26 12 11 5 
			 Suffolk 21 49 38 19 108 
			 Surrey 1 0 0 0 0 
			 Sussex 0 1 0 0 0 
			 Thames Valley 25 18 7 17 10 
			 Warwickshire 1 0 0 0 0 
			 West Mercia 1 0 0 0 0 
			 West Midlands 129 97 174 99 46 
			 West Yorkshire 130 55 55 82 24 
			 Wiltshire 4 2 1 0 12 
			 England and Wales 1,944 1,821 1,640 1,290 1,258 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Incidents of prostitution-related activity—2007-08 
			  Police force area  Number of incidents 
			 Avon and Somerset 173 
			 Bedfordshire 150 
			 British Transport Police n/a 
			 Cambridgeshire 82 
			 Cheshire 12 
			 Cleveland 89 
			 Cumbria 6 
			 Derbyshire 116 
			 Devon and Cornwall 16 
			 Dorset 128 
			 Durham 1 
			 Dyfed-Powys 3 
			 Essex 102 
			 Gloucestershire 20 
			 Greater Manchester 247 
			 Gwent 65 
			 Hampshire 121 
			 Hertfordshire 26 
			 Humberside 91 
			 Kent 92 
			 Lancashire 129 
			 Leicestershire 200 
			 Lincolnshire 3 
			 London, City of 5 
			 Merseyside 124 
			 Metropolitan Police 1,446 
			 Norfolk 232 
			 Northamptonshire 18 
			 Northumbria 39 
			 North Wales 2 
			 North Yorkshire 7 
			 Nottinghamshire 70 
			 South Wales 328 
			 South Yorkshire 283 
			 Staffordshire 142 
			 Suffolk 181 
			 Surrey 19 
			 Sussex 18 
			 Thames Valley 85 
			 Warwickshire 12 
			 West Mercia 4 
			 West Midlands 538 
			 West Yorkshire 145 
			 Wiltshire 54 
			 England and Wales 5,624 
			 n/a = Not available 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Incidents of antisocial behaviour—2007-08 
			  Police force area  Number of incidents 
			 Avon and Somerset 103,561 
			 Bedfordshire 39,617 
			 British Transport Police n/a 
			 Cambridgeshire 54,749 
			 Cheshire 57,429 
			 Cleveland 64,105 
			 Cumbria 45,427 
			 Derbyshire 75,649 
			 Devon and Cornwall 106,403 
			 Dorset 48,844 
			 Durham 63,412 
			 Dyfed-Powys 35,133 
			 Essex 95,164 
			 Gloucestershire 36,133 
			 Greater Manchester 252,656 
			 Gwent 67,556 
			 Hampshire 142,061 
			 Hertfordshire 84,801 
			 Humberside 53,075 
			 Kent 88,347 
			 Lancashire 171,470 
			 Leicestershire 58,442 
			 Lincolnshire 40,099 
			 London, City of 1,902 
			 Merseyside 112,623 
			 Metropolitan Police 387,862 
			 Norfolk 62,033 
			 Northamptonshire 62,699 
			 Northumbria 171,347 
			 North Wales 50,670 
			 North Yorkshire 50,656 
			 Nottinghamshire 88,240 
			 South Wales 117,884 
			 South Yorkshire 127,635 
			 Staffordshire 61,888 
			 Suffolk 43,970 
			 Surrey 64,048 
			 Sussex 106,526 
			 Thames Valley 100,542 
			 Warwickshire 30,390 
			 West Mercia 88,770 
			 West Midlands 172,034 
			 West Yorkshire 148,521 
			 Wiltshire 33,629 
			 England and Wales 3,868,002 
			 n/a = Not available

Crimes of Violence: Betting Shops

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will bring forward policies designed to prevent violence against betting shop workers; and if she will make a statement.

Alan Campbell: The Government take the problem of violence against betting shop workers very seriously and work is being undertaken across Government Departments to tackle it. A working group lead by James Purnell, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and Pat McFadden, Minister for Employments Relations, and Postal Affairs has recently been established to consider action to be taken to deal with this issue. This will be attended by representatives of the book making industry, the third sector, the police, local authorities and other Government Departments.

Demonstrations

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how much has been spent on policing demonstrations in London on each day since 27 December 2008;
	(2)  how much has been spent on policing demonstrations in Manchester on each day since 27 December 2008.

Vernon Coaker: The information requested is not held centrally. This is a matter for the police authority and the chief constable or Metropolitan Police Commissioner as appropriate.

Departmental Manpower

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many members of her Department's staff are employed in the  (a) Programme and Project Management Support Unit,  (b) Reform and Change Team,  (c) Strategic Policy Team,  (d) Delivery Unit and  (e) Reform Programme Office of the Strategy and Reform Directorate; and how many are employed in the Directorate in total.

Phil Woolas: The following table provides the total number of staff employed by the Strategy and Reform Directorate and the specific directorates requested in the question.
	
		
			   Headcount as at 31 December 2008 
			 Total staff headcount(1) in Strategy and Reform Directorate 99 
			  Which includes:  
			  (a) Programme and Project Management Support Unit 18 
			  (b) Reform Team(2) 11 
			  (c) Strategic Policy Team 25 
			  (d) Delivery Unit 10 
			 (1) Headcount includes permanent and non-permanent staff (contractors, non-paid contractors, agency) and non-active staff. (2) Merge of Reform and Change Team with Reform Programme Office.

Drugs: Sentencing

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have received the maximum sentence on conviction for dealing in  (a) Class A drugs,  (b) Class B drugs and  (c) Class C drugs in each year since 1997.

Alan Campbell: The information requested is included in the following table. The data given includes possession with intent to supply, as well as supplying.
	These data are based on the principle offence basis. Where an offender is found guilty of two or more offences, it is the offence for which the heaviest sentence is imposed which is recorded. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the one for which the statutory maximum penalty is most severe.
	The maximum sentences for trafficking in control drugs are dependent on the class of drug involved. For class A drugs, the maximum sentence is life imprisonment. For class B and C drugs, the maximum sentence is 14 years.
	The Government take dealing in illegal drugs very seriously. The maximum sentence for dealing class C drugs was increased to 14 years from five years in January 2004.
	
		
			  Offenders given maximum sentence for supplying drugs and possession with intent to supply offences, by class, 1997 to 2007 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Possession with intent to supply: Class A — — — — — — — 1 — — 2 
			 Supplying: Class A — — 1 — — — — — 1 — — 
			 
			 Possession with intent to supply: Class B — — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Supplying: Class B 1 — — — — — — — — — — 
			 
			 Possession with intent to supply: Class C — — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Supplying: Class C — — — — — — — — — — — 
			  Notes: 1. These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems.  2. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.  3. These data are based on the principle offence basis, where an offender is found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest sentence is imposed, where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the one for which the statutory maximum penalty is most severe.  Source:  OMS Analytical Services, Ministry of Justice.

Electronic Surveillance

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what legal protections there are for individuals against remote surveillance of their personal computers by third parties.

Vernon Coaker: Public authority authorisation and use of covert surveillance is strictly controlled by the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 ('RIPA'). RIPA limits the purposes for which such surveillance may be used by specific public authorities and sets out the level and procedures for its authorisation. In particular it expressly requires that its authorisation is both necessary and proportionate with regard to human rights. This reflects the obligation on all public authorities to comply with the European Convention under the terms of the Human Rights Act 1998. RIPA also provides a system of independent oversight by the Office of Surveillance Commissioners and a Tribunal for appeal if anyone believes they have been put under unlawful covert surveillance. The contact details are:
	The Investigatory Powers Tribunal
	PO Box 33220
	London
	SW1H 9ZQ
	Telephone: 020 7035 3711

Electronic Surveillance

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what rights the police and security services have to conduct remote surveillance of an individual's computer use outside the United Kingdom.

Vernon Coaker: Public authority conduct, under the covert surveillance provisions of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000, includes conduct outside the United Kingdom.

Fraud: Economic Situation

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment she has made of the likely impact on levels of fraud and other financial crime of the downturn in the economy.

Alan Campbell: I have regular discussions with the financial sector and law enforcement and continue to monitor trends in fraud and financial crime. However, I have made no specific assessment of the impact of the downturn in the economy on these types of crime.
	The Government are determined to tackle fraud and have recently allocated £29 million in new funding to establish the National Fraud programme. As part of this programme the new National Fraud Strategic Authority is working closely with stakeholders across Government, law enforcement and the private sector to drive forwards a concerted UK strategy against fraud and to make the UK a much more difficult place for fraudsters to succeed. In addition to the new authority, the City of London police now has a national remit to tackle serious and complex fraud cases across England and Wales, and to assist other forces in their response to fraud, while a new National Fraud Reporting Centre (NFRC), expected to go live in 2009, will radically streamline the way that the public report fraud to the police. The NFRC will also enable the police to draw together intelligence from separate incidents of fraud and help to form the basis of better prevention advice and alerts for businesses and the public.

Human Trafficking: Prosecutions

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions for offences relating to the trafficking of human beings were brought in each year since 1997.

Alan Campbell: Human trafficking as dedicated offences was introduced in 2004 with the introduction of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 and the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants) Act 2004.
	While the number of prosecutions since the introduction of this Act are not held centrally by the Home Office there have to date been 92 convictions for trafficking for sexual exploitation and four for trafficking for forced labour.

Immobilisation of Vehicles: Regulation

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made on the Security Industry Authority's feasibility study regarding the regulation of vehicle immobilisation companies who operate on private land.

Alan Campbell: The Security Industry Authority (SIA) is close to completing the feasibility study on the regulation of vehicle immobilisation companies operating on private land. The SIA will submit the study to Home Office Ministers as soon as it has been completed and approved by the SIA's board.

Internet: Security

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many British Standards Institute kitemarks for internet content control software have been issued, and to whom, pursuant to the initiative announced by the Home Office in December 2006; and if she will make a statement.

Alan Campbell: The Kitemark for filtering software developed by the Home Office and Ofcom and in partnership with BSI, was launched in April 2008. Currently none have been issued, but the promotion of the Kitemark will form part of the agenda for the industry standards working group within the UK Council for Child Internet Safety. The Government fully support the Kitemark and encourage companies to apply for it.

Offensive Weapons

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were  (a) prosecuted for,  (b) convicted of and  (c) sentenced to prison for knife possession between (i) June and October 2008 and (ii) June and October 2007.

Alan Campbell: Data showing the number of people proceeded against at magistrates courts, found guilty and given a custodial sentence at all courts for knife possession, from 1 June 2006 to 31 October 2006 and from 1 June 2007 to 31 October 2007 in England and Wales, are in the following table. Data for 2008 are due to be available in the autumn of 2009.
	The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offence for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
	
		
			  Number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts, found guilty and given immediate custody at all courts, for knife possession( 1) , England and Wales for the periods 1 June 2006 to 31 October 2006 and 1 June 2007 to 31 October 2007( 2,3) 
			   2006  2007 
			 Proceeded against 3,258 3,288 
			 Found guilty 2,720 2,729 
			 Given immediate custody 499 480 
			 (1) Includes the following offences and statutes: Having an article with blade or point in public place—Criminal Justice Act 1988 S.139A (1) (5) (a) as added by Offensive Weapons Act 1996 S.4 (1). Having an article with blade or point on school premises—Criminal Justice Act 1988 S.139A (2) (5) (b) as added by Offensive Weapons Act 1996 S.4 (1). (2) The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: E and A Unit—Office for Criminal Justice Reform

Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism Programme: Finance

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 25 November 2008,  Official Report, column 67WS, on the departmental expenditure limit (2008-09), what the reasons were for the reprofiling of £48 million expenditure for the Office for Security and Counter Terrorism programme from 2008-09 to 2009-10.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 14 January 2009
	The reprofiling of the Office of Security and Counter Terrorism £48 million from 2008-09 ensures that the funds available matches its spending forecast for 2009-10.

Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism: Finance

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the budget of the Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism is for  (a) 2008-09,  (b) 2009-10 and  (c) 2010-11.

Vernon Coaker: The budget of the Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism over the current CSR period is as shown in the following table:
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Resource  Capital 
			 2008-09 761 159 
			 2009-10 937 212 
			 2010-11 1,003 167

Police Stations: Essex

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police stations in Essex were operational in each of the last 10 years.

Vernon Coaker: The management of the police estate and allocation of resources are matters for Essex Police Authority and the chief constable of Essex, who are responsible for assessing local needs.

Police: Horses

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will bring forward proposals to increase the number of mounted police in police forces in England and Wales.

Vernon Coaker: The number of mounted police in police forces in England and Wales is an operational matter for chief officers, balancing operational needs against the financial cost of maintaining a mounted unit.

Police: Medals

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will consider the merits of changing to 20 years the period of service of award for the Police Long Service Medal.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 20 January 2009
	 : The issue of reducing the qualifying period is the subject of an ongoing review and the Home Office will lead a consultation exercise.

Police: Rural Areas

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent steps she taken to  (a) facilitate policing in rural areas and  (b) develop methods of assessing levels of public safety in rural communities.

Vernon Coaker: Following consultation we continue to pay the £30 million rural policing grant in the current CSR period (2008-09 to 2010-11) as part of special formula grant, rather than including it in general formula grant. This ensures that police authorities in more rural areas continue to benefit fully from the provision.
	The Policing Pledge, which sets out for the public the service that they can expect to receive from the police anywhere in the country, includes a 20-minute response time for emergency calls from rural areas. Neighbourhood policing teams in rural areas have also been given specific guidance from the National Policing Improvement Agency in recognition that the policing needs in rural areas may differ from those in towns and cities.

Police: Standards

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 8 December 2008,  Official Report, column 39WS, on strategic policing priorities, by what means  (a) a police force,  (b) its police authority,  (c) crime and disorder reduction partnerships, community safety partnerships and other local partners and  (d) local people are to be involved in setting local policing priorities for 2009-10.

Vernon Coaker: Every police authority is required each year to produce a three-year plan including their local priorities for policing their area. They are required to consider and include crime and disorder reduction partnerships/community safety partnerships strategies and the view of the public obtained under section 96 of the Police Act 1996. How each authority decides to gather and include this information is a decision for them.
	Underpinning this, local—neighbourhood—policing priorities are agreed between the neighbourhood policing teams and their local communities. These priorities will be enshrined in the local part of the Policing Pledge and subject to discussion at the monthly public meetings that all teams now hold.

Police: Telephone Services

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which police forces have decided to cease using 0800 non-emergency telephone numbers.

Vernon Coaker: This information is not held centrally.

Proceeds of Crime

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer of 14 October 2008,  Official Report, column 1079W, on the proceeds of crime, how much was received by each police force under the asset recovery incentive scheme in the last year for which figures are available.

Alan Campbell: The information requested is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Allocations under the asset recovery incentive scheme for the period 1 April 2004 to 31 March 2008 
			  £ 
			  Police Force  
			 Avon and Somerset Constabulary 342,349.01 
			 Bedfordshire Police 108,271.48 
			 British Transport Police 75,082.96 
			 Cambridgeshire Constabulary 145,965.37 
			 Cheshire Constabulary 339,287.90 
			 City of London Police 323,521.34 
			 Cleveland Police 344,290.21 
			 Cumbria Constabulary 182,985.34 
			 Derbyshire Constabulary 322,854.80 
			 Devon and Cornwall Constabulary 275,246.94 
			 Dorset Police 326,832.07 
			 Durham Constabulary 88,213.47 
			 Dyfed-Powys Police 103,140.23 
			 Essex Police 76,252.71 
			 Gloucestershire Constabulary 189,915.00 
			 Greater Manchester Police 845,905.36 
			 Gwent Police 128,921.98 
			 Hampshire Constabulary 274,470.19 
			 Hertfordshire Constabulary 228,048.64 
			 Humberside Police 263,446.14 
			 Kent Police 606,669.13 
			 Lancashire Constabulary 585,778.25 
			 Leicestershire Constabulary 519,807.03 
			 Lincolnshire Police 75,134.49 
			 Merseyside Police 1,418,562.24 
			 Metropolitan Police Service 5,078,182.85 
			 Norfolk Constabulary 183,899.71 
			 North Wales Police 197,549.14 
			 North Yorkshire Police 86,178.77 
			 Northamptonshire Police 210,129.59 
			 Northumbria Police 310,179.08 
			 Nottinghamshire Police 217,049.05 
			 Police Service of Northern Ireland 412,502.81 
			 South Wales Police 301,007.35 
			 South Yorkshire Police 453,591.26 
			 Staffordshire Police 459,105.69 
			 Suffolk Constabulary 162,503.09 
			 Surrey Police 289,547.92 
			 Sussex Police 130,726.82 
			 Thames Valley Police 613,974.50 
			 Warwickshire Police 183,926.67 
			 West Mercia Constabulary 309,642.50 
			 West Midlands Police 960,407.41 
			 West Yorkshire Police 422,674.90 
			 Wiltshire Constabulary 167,916.63 
			 Total 19,341,648.02

Proceeds of Crime: Consolidated Fund

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much money has been paid into the Consolidated Fund from proceeds of crime in each of the last five years.

Alan Campbell: holding answer 19 January 2009
	The total net value of criminal proceeds recovered in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in the last five years is set out in the following table. From 1 April 2006 the Home Office has paid back 50 per cent. of recovered criminal assets to the police and other front-line agencies under the asset recovery incentive scheme. The scheme is designed to reward past performance and drive up future asset recovery activity. The remaining 50 per cent. contributes to core Home Office expenditure priorities, including policing and other asset recovery measures.
	
		
			  Proceeds of crime 
			   £ million 
			   Net total recovered 
			 2003-04 54.5 
			 2004-05 84.4 
			 2005-06 96.0 
			 2006-07 125.3 
			 2007-08 135.7

Prostitution

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of people selling sex in each of the last five years.

Alan Campbell: The Home Office consultation Paying the Price: a consultation paper on prostitution, published in July 2004 stated that:
	"it has been estimated that there could be as many as 80,000 people involved in prostitution in the UK."

Security: Olympic Games 2012

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects to publish the costed security plan for the London 2012 Olympics.

Vernon Coaker: Due to security considerations, the costed security plan for the London 2012 Olympics is necessarily a classified document. As such, the Home Office is considering proposals for publishing an unclassified version later in 2009.

Serious and Organised Crime Agency: Airwave Service

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Airwave handsets issued to the Serious and Organised Crime Agency have been lost in each year since their introduction; and how many handsets issued to the Agency have been disabled by the service provider through  (a) loss,  (b) breakage and  (c) other reasons in each such year.

Alan Campbell: The number of Airwave handsets lost since their introduction in 2007 are as follows:
	2007: 3
	2008: 4
	No handsets issued to SOCA have been disabled by the service provider.
	These handsets have all been permanently disabled by SOCA in accordance with national standards.

Shoplifting

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many recorded shoplifting offences there were in  (a) 2007 and  (b) 2008.

Alan Campbell: The available information shows that there were 294,282 recorded shoplifting offences in England and Wales in 2006-07 and 290,625 offences recorded in 2007-08, a fall of 1 per cent.

Surveillance: Members

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the Answer to the hon. Member for Wellingborough of 30 April 2008,  Official Report, columns 506-07W, on surveillance: Members, if she will place in the Library a copy of the updated Code of Practice.

Vernon Coaker: Yes. The Government will shortly be consulting on the proposed amendments to the Code of Practice and will place a copy of the consultation document, when this is published, in the Library. The revised code will then be subject to the affirmative resolution procedure before coming into force.

Theft

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many recorded offences of handling stolen goods there were in  (a) 2007 and  (b) 2008.

Alan Campbell: The available information shows that there were 11,826 recorded offences of handling stolen goods in England and Wales in 2006-07 and 11,227 offences recorded in 2007-08, a fall of 5 per cent.

WALES

Departmental Pay

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much has been spent by his Department on staff reward and recognition schemes in each of the last three years.

Paul Murphy: The amount spent by the Wales Office on reward and recognition schemes in each of the last three years are as follows:
	
		
			  Financial year (1 April to 31 March)  £ 
			 2005-06 195.90 
			 2006-07 60.00 
			 2007-08 240.00

Digital Technology: Disadvantaged People

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps he is considering to facilitate access to digital technologies for disadvantaged groups and individuals; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Murphy: The UK Government recently launched their cross-government paper "Delivering Digital Inclusion - An Action Plan for Consultation" which details more than 70 Government actions taking place to advance digital inclusion and future actions being considered by Government to facilitate access to digital technologies for disadvantaged groups and individuals in the annex of the report. The consultation was launched on the 27 October 2008 and finished on the 19 January 2009.
	There are significant and untapped opportunities to use technology better on behalf of citizens and communities. These include improved service planning, design and delivery, particularly to address the needs of disadvantaged groups and individuals.
	The paper highlights and brings together the activities already happening within the UK to improve access to technology and provide support and training to use information and communication technology (ICT) in order to enhance educational, employment and social outcomes for disadvantaged groups and individuals.
	The consultation sought views on both the analysis set out in the consultation paper and on proposals for a new Digital Inclusion Champion supported by an expert taskforce and a research team. Consultation responses are currently being analysed and will be used to inform future work to drive forward digital inclusion across all sectors.
	"Delivering Digital Inclusion - An Action Plan for Consultation" is available at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/communities/deliveringdigitalinclusion

BUSINESS, ENTERPRISE AND REGULATORY REFORM

Age: Discrimination

Mike Hancock: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will take steps to establish a strategy to tackle age discrimination and promote age equality in the provision of goods and services  (a) by his Department and  (b) within the sectors for which his Department has policy responsibility; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: The forthcoming Equality Bill will enable the Government to make it illegal to discriminate unjustifiably against adults aged 18 and over, because of their age when providing goods, facilities and services. The reforms will apply to all sectors of the economy including those for which BERR has policy responsibility.
	BERR aims to have a work force that reflects the diverse community the Department serves. The Department's diversity strategy links into BERR's employment policies and practices; and guidance and training on avoiding all forms of discrimination, including age, is available to all staff.
	The Department contractually requires its suppliers and their sub-contractors to adhere to its anti-discrimination policies and broader legislation. The Department will continue to implement emerging best practice in this area.

Defence Export Services Organisation

Richard Benyon: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many  (a) civilian and  (b) military staff there were at the Defence Export Services Organisation in July 2007.

Gareth Thomas: holding answer 15 January 2009
	 The information is as follows.
	
		
			  Number of staff at the Defence Export Services Organisation in July 2007. 
			   Number of staff 
			  (a) Civilians 315 
			  (b) Military 157 
		
	
	Not all the units which comprised the Defence Export Services Organisation in the Ministry of Defence transferred to the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform under the machinery of government transfer on 1 April 2008. Some units remained in the Ministry of Defence.

Imports: Manufactured Goods

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps his Department is taking to ensure that imported goods have not been produced by foreign workers who have been exploited.

Gareth Thomas: The UK Government fully recognise the importance of protecting overseas workers from exploitation.
	We fully support the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Decent Work Agenda, which promotes employment, labour standards, social protection and social dialogue; and we actively encourage all ILO member states to improve working conditions and, particularly, to work towards ratifying and implementing the eight ILO core labour conventions, which cover forced and child labour, trade union rights and discrimination in employment.
	We also fully support the ILO's Tripartite Declaration of Principles concerning Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy, and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, which are voluntary standards of responsible corporate behaviour. Allegations of breaches of the guidelines by UK companies can be investigated by the UK's National Contact Point.
	We also fund the Ethical Trade Initiative, an alliance of businesses, trade unions and charities. This initiative works to secure better conditions for workers in supply chains making products for export to the UK and other countries; for example, workers who make clothes, shoes, toys and food items.
	In addition, the EU's special incentive arrangement for sustainable development and good governance (GSP+) incentivises economically vulnerable countries to improve their labour standards by allowing preferential access to EU markets if they ratify and effectively implement key international instruments including the eight ILO conventions.
	Given the size and complexity of many supply chains, the Government strongly believe that this approach are more practical and effective than a UK-based monitoring system.

Insolvency: Prosecutions

Peter Luff: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many prosecutions there have been for trading when knowingly insolvent in each of the last three years.

Patrick McFadden: Section 458 of the Companies Act 1985 and section 993 of the Companies Act 2006 create the offence of carrying on a business with the intent to defraud creditors or for any fraudulent purpose. Prosecutions for this offence are brought to cover a range of fraudulent activity, including trading while insolvent.
	This Department has brought prosecutions in respect of this offence in the following numbers in each of the last complete financial years:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2005-06 25 
			 2006-07 20 
			 2007-08 16 
			  Note: These figures refer to charges finalised within the years in question; not numbers of defendants or cases. 
		
	
	Other prosecuting authorities may also have prosecuted using this offence.

ITV: British Sky Broadcasting

Don Foster: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will instruct BSkyB to divest itself of its shares in ITV.

Gareth Thomas: The Secretary of State's final decision on the impact of BSkyB's shareholding in ITV was published on 29 January 2008. This includes his decisions as to the remedies appropriate in this case to address the substantial lessening of competition to which he found the shareholding gave rise. The remedies include the requirement on BSkyB to make a partial divestment of its shares in ITV down to a level below 7.5 per cent. We aim to implement the remedies as soon as practicable. The process has, however, been delayed due to the appeal proceedings brought by BSkyB seeking to overturn the decisions. The Competition Appeal Tribunal's judgment upholding the Secretary of State's decisions was published on 29 September. BSkyB subsequently submitted an application for permission to appeal that judgment. That application was refused on 4 December. On 18 December, BSkyB submitted a further application for permission to appeal direct to the Court of Appeal.

ITV: British Sky Broadcasting

Don Foster: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment he has made of the effects of BSkyB's continuing retention of shares in ITV on competition and the public interest as it relates to the need to ensure a sufficient plurality of persons with control of media.

Gareth Thomas: The Secretary of State's assessment of the impact of BSkyB's shareholding in ITV was set out in the final decision document he published on 29 January 2008. This included the decisions that BSkyB's shareholding in ITV had resulted in a substantial lessening of competition in the market for all television but that it did not operate against the public interest as it relates to ensuring a sufficient plurality of persons with control of media enterprises. The decision document also sets out the remedies appropriate in this case, including the requirement on BSkyB to make a partial divestment of its shares in ITV down to a level below 7.5 per cent.

ITV: British Sky Broadcasting

Don Foster: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what  (a) communications he has had from and  (b) meetings his Department has had with (i) BSkyB, (ii) News International and (iii) other News Corporation-controlled companies during the last four months; and which of those related to BSkyB's shareholding in ITV.

Gareth Thomas: My noble Friend, the Secretary of State has had no communications from BSkyB or News International during the period or, to the best of my knowledge, from any other companies controlled by News Corporation. During the period, BERR officials have been in contact with BSkyB about the text of the statutory undertakings we are asking BSkyB to provide to remedy the anti-competitive effects of their shareholding in ITV in accordance with the Secretary of State's final decision on this matter dated 29 January 2008.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when the Secretary of State plans to reply to the letter of 14 November 2008 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton on Brother E. Egan.

Patrick McFadden: I replied to my right hon. Friend on 17 January 2009.

North East Regional Development Agency

Francis Maude: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Rochford and Southend East of 27 October 2008,  Official Report, column 722W, on the Keep Our Future Afloat campaign, to which bodies the North East Regional Development Agency provided funding to be used by the campaign.

Patrick McFadden: One North East has not provided funding to any bodies on behalf of the campaign which is largely based in the north-west of England.

Overseas Trade

Michael Fallon: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the value of trade between the UK and  (a) Israel and  (b) Palestine was in 2007-08.

Gareth Thomas: holding answer 20 January 2009
	UK exports of goods to Israel, as recorded in the HMRC Overseas Trade Statistics, were worth £1,243 million in 2007 and £1,088 million in the first 10 months of 2008; UK imports of goods from Israel were worth £1,058 million and £960 million respectively. As published in the ONS Balance of Payments Pink Book, in 2007 UK exports of services to Israel were worth £475 million and UK imports of services from Israel were worth £305 million.
	UK exports of goods to the Occupied Palestinian Territories, as recorded in the HMRC Overseas Trade Statistics, were worth £876,000 in 2007 and £2,443,000 in the first 10 months of 2008; UK imports of goods from the Occupied Palestinian Territories were worth £958,000 and £901,000 respectively. No figures are available for trade in services.

Redundancy

Justine Greening: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many staff in his Department left under  (a) involuntary and  (b) voluntary staff exit schemes in each year since 2005-06; how many of them in each case were paid (i) up to £25,000, (ii) £25,001 to £50,000, (iii) £50,001 to £75,000, (iv) £75,001 to £100,000 and (v) over £100,000 in the year before they left; and how much (A) was spent in each of those years and (B) is planned to be spent in (1) 2008-09 and (2) 2009-10 on such schemes by (y) his Department and its predecessor and (z) each of his Department's agencies.

Patrick McFadden: The information on staff early departures under voluntary and involuntary schemes, banded according to their salary in their final year, can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	 (a) The following table shows expenditure on early departures for voluntary and involuntary schemes by BERR, and its predecessor DTI, in each year since 2005-06.
	
		
			   £ 
			 2005-06 6,427,000 
			 2006-07 12,802,000 
			 2007-08 10,248,000 
		
	
	 (b)(1) The Department will spend £1,607,000 on early departure schemes in 2008-09.
	 (b)(2) The Department has no planned expenditure for early departure schemes in 2009-10.
	Payments include pension lump sums as well as compensation awards. The Department will always try to deal with staff surpluses by means other than redundancy. If redundancies become unavoidable, the Department will endeavour to reduce staff by voluntary rather than involuntary means wherever possible.
	I have approached the chief executives of the Insolvency Service and Companies House and they will respond to you directly.
	 Letter from Stephen Speed, dated 20 January 2009:
	The Minister of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) has asked me to reply to you directly in respect of your question (2008/90) asking how many staff in his Department have left under (a) involuntary and (b) voluntary staff exit schemes in each year since 2005-06; how many of them in each case were paid (i) up to £25,000, (ii) £25,001 to £50,000, (iii) £50,001 to £75,000, (iv) £75,001 to £100,000 and (v) over £100,000 in the year before they left; and how much (A) was spent in each of those years and (B) is planned to be spent in (1) 2008-09 and (2) 2009-10 by (Y) his Department and its predecessor (Z) each of his Department's agencies.
	As an Agency of BERR, The Insolvency Service has not undertaken any involuntary or voluntary exit schemes since 2005-06 and there are no plans to hold such schemes during 2008-09 and 2009-10.
	 Letter from Gareth Jones, dated 20 January 2009:
	I am responding on behalf of Companies House to your recently tabled Parliamentary Question to the Minister of State for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.
	Companies House has not run an involuntary exit scheme during the period in question. Details of the voluntary exit schemes run in 2005-06 and 2006-07 are as follows:
	
		
			  Pay band  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Up to £25,000 1 43 
			 £25,001 to £50,000 9 11 
			 £50,001 to £75,000 0 0 
			 £75,001 to £100,000 0 0 
			 Over £100,000 0 0 
		
	
	There were no staff exit schemes in 2007-08 and there are no plans for schemes in 2008-09 or 2009-10.

Royal Mail

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps Royal Mail is taking to  (a) reduce its costs and  (b) cut its overheads.

Patrick McFadden: This is an operational matter for Royal Mail. I have therefore asked the chief executive, Adam Crozier, to reply direct to my hon. Friend.

Royal Mail

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps Royal Mail is taking to improve its quality of service.

Patrick McFadden: This is an operational matter for Royal Mail. I have therefore asked the chief executive, Adam Crozier, to reply direct to my hon. Friend.

Street Trading

Christopher Chope: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when his Department received the final report from Durham university into pedlars and street traders; and when it will be published.

Gareth Thomas: holding answer 20 January 2009
	The final report into street trading and pedlary was submitted to the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) on 9 December 2008.
	We are aiming to publish the report in full on the BERR website in early February.

Tobacco

Mark Hoban: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many meetings he and Ministers of his Department have had with  (a) tobacco companies and  (b) those working on behalf of tobacco companies in the last three months.

Patrick McFadden: None.

UK Trade and Investment: Consultants

Richard Benyon: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the maximum amount is that UK Trade and Investment senior staff can authorise to be spent on a consultant without making a full business case for doing so.

Gareth Thomas: UKTI procurement guidelines require a business case for any procurement activity which exceeds £500, including consultancy. For amounts, exceeding £10,000, excluding VAT, a formal UKTI business case template must be used.

UK Trade and Investment: Pay

Richard Benyon: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much each UK Trade and Investment management board member received in bonuses in 2008.

Gareth Thomas: holding answer 15 January 2009
	Details of the remuneration package paid to members of the UK Trade and Investment Executive Board in 2008 will be published in the UKTI Annual Report and Accounts 2008-09.
	Details of the remuneration packages of board members in 2007 were published in the UKTI Accounts 2007-08 on 21 July 2008. (Stationery Office : HC 851)

UK Trade and Investment: Pay

Richard Benyon: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when he expects negotiations on harmonising pay and conditions between former Ministry of Defence staff transferred to his Department and other UK Trade and Investment staff to begin.

Gareth Thomas: holding answer 15 January 2009
	 The negotiations on harmonising pay, terms and conditions for those Ministry of Defence staff who transferred to the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform commenced shortly after the transfer date of 1 April 2008.

UKTI Defence and Security Organisation

Richard Benyon: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many UK Trade and Investment Defence and Security Organisation staff have applied for early release under the Ministry of Defence 2008 Early Severance Scheme.

Gareth Thomas: 29 staff in the UKTI Defence and Security Organisation applied for early release under the MOD 2008 Early Severance Scheme. Two of these staff have moved to posts in other parts of the MOD since their application for early release). Of the 24 staff who accepted the offer, eight will leave by April 2009 and the remaining 16 staff will leave by April 2010.

UKTI Defence and Security Organisation: Consultants

Richard Benyon: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much the UK Trade and Investment Defence and Security Organisation spent on external consultants in the last 12 months.

Gareth Thomas: Over the period 1 January to 31 December 2008, the UKTI Defence and Security Organisation spent £79,000 on external consultants. This expenditure covered the services of a consultant with specialist knowledge, employed to assist the South African authorities monitor Industrial Participation obligations arising from the sale in 2000 of defence equipment. This assistance was provided for in a Declaration of Intent signed by my right hon. Friend, the then Prime Minister, and President Mbeki.

UKTI Defence and Security Organisation: Manpower

Richard Benyon: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many  (a) civilian and  (b) military staff there were at the UK Trade and Investment Defence and Security Organisation on 3 January 2009.

Gareth Thomas: holding answer 15 January 2009
	In April 2008 there were 44 military staff and 109 civilian staff who transferred to the UK Defence and Security Organisation in the UK.
	
		
			  N umber of staff at UKTI Defence and Security Organisation on 3 January 2009 
			   Number of staff 
			  (a) civilian 111 
			  (b) military 47 
			  Note: In addition some 29 staff transferred from the Ministry of Defence to UKTI DSO posts based in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office overseas.

UKTI Defence and Security Organisation: Manpower

Richard Benyon: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many  (a) civilian and  (b) military staff have left the UK Trade and Investment Defence and Security Organisation since 2 April 2008.

Gareth Thomas: holding answer 15 January 2009
	 In April 2008 there were 44 military staff and 109 civilian staff who transferred to the UK Defence and Security Organisation in the UK.
	
		
			  Number of staff who have left the UKTI Defence and Security Organisation since 2 April 2008 
			   Number of staff 
			  (a) Civilian 10 
			  (b) Military (1)21 
			 (1) Under normal posting procedures.  Note: In addition some 29 staff transferred from the Ministry of Defence to UKTI DSO posts based in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office overseas.

UKTI Defence and Security Organisation: Manpower

Richard Benyon: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many  (a) civilian and  (b) military staff have joined the UK Trade and Investment Defence and Security Organisation since 2 April 2008.

Gareth Thomas: holding answer 15 January 2009
	In April 2008 there were 44 military staff and 109 civilian staff who transferred to the UKTI Defence and Security Organisation in the UK.
	The number of staff who have joined the UKTI Defence and Security Organisation since 2 April 2008 are:
	
		
			   Number 
			  (a) civilian 12 
			  (b) military (1)24 
			 (1) Under normal posting procedures.  Note: These numbers exclude some 29 staff who transferred from the Ministry of Defence to UKTI DSO posts based in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) overseas. Three staff have since joined FCO on loan from the Ministry of Defence.

UKTI Defence and Security Organisation: Manpower

Richard Benyon: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many UK Trade and Investment Defence and Security Organisation civilian posts were made redundant in the move to Kingsgate House.

Gareth Thomas: holding answer 15 January 2009
	 No civilian posts were made redundant as a result of the move to UKTI (Kingsgate House).

UKTI Defence and Security Organisation: Pay

Richard Benyon: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when UK Trade and Investment Defence and Security Organisation staff last received a pay increase.

Gareth Thomas: The information requested is as follows:
	UKTI DSO staff on BERR terms and conditions received a pay rise in September 2008, backdated to 1 August 2008.
	UKTI DSO staff who remain on MOD terms and conditions are expected to receive a pay award in February 2009, backdated to 1 August 2008.
	All military staff received their pay award on 1 April 2008.

UKTI Defence and Security Organisation: Recruitment

Richard Benyon: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many UK Trade and Investment Defence and Security Organisation civilian posts advertised since 2 April 2008 have attracted no suitable applicants; and how many such appointments were refused by a successful applicant.

Gareth Thomas: Two civilian posts in the UKTI Defence and Security Organisation have attracted no suitable applicants. Both posts were junior level posts.
	No civilian post in the UKTI Defence and Security Organisation has been refused by a successful applicant.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Community Relations

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what response she plans to make to the recommendation that more Preventing Violent Extremism Pathfinder Fund projects should be targeted at disrupting those who promote violent extremism and those who support the institutions where they are active made on page 62 of the report, Preventing Violent Extremism Pathfinder Fund: Mapping of Project Activities 2007-08 published on 10 December 2008;
	(2)  what steps she plans to take in response to the recommendation for increased partnership working with educational establishments, arts and sports providers to deliver the PREVENT strategy made on page 7 of the report Preventing Violent Extremism Pathfinder Fund: Mapping of Project Activities 2007-08 published on 10 December 2008; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  whether her Department plans to undertake research into effective partnership working on the PREVENT strategy as recommended on page 10 of the report Preventing Violent Extremism Pathfinder Fund: Mapping of Project Activities 2007-08 published on 10 December 2008;
	(4)  whether she plans to provide further guidance to local authorities on gathering and presenting evaluation evidence on projects funded as part of the PREVENT strategy as recommended on page 10 of the report Preventing Violent Extremism Pathfinder Fund: Mapping of Project Activities 2007-08 published on 10 December 2008;
	(5)  what steps she plans to take in response to the recommendation that local authorities should be encouraged to fund more Preventing Violent Extremism projects using mosque-based delivery and electronic and printed materials made on page 10 of the report Preventing Violent Extremism Pathfinder Fund: Mapping of Project Activities 2007-08 published on 10 December 2008; and if she will make a statement;
	(6)  what steps she plans to take in response to the recommendation that good practice with respect to Preventing Violent Extremism projects should be shared among local authorities and projects made on page 10 of the report Preventing Violent Extremism Pathfinder Fund: Mapping of Project Activities 2007-08 published on 10 December 2008;
	(7)  what steps she plans to take in response to the recommendations that all local authorities and projects should provide a lead name contact responsible for monitoring and evaluation with respect to Preventing Violent Extremism projects made on page 10 of the report Preventing Violent Extremism Pathfinder Fund: Mapping Project Activities 2007-08, published on 10 December 2008.

Sadiq Khan: The Preventing Violent Extremism Pathfinder Fund: Mapping of project activities 2007-08 was one of a number of reviews over the summer which sought to draw out learning and emerging practice on the delivery of activity to prevent violent extremism. Though each review had a different focus, together they provide a useful package of learning material upon which local partners can draw and which will inform the Government's approach to Prevent.
	There are a number of common themes which run through all these reviews. Some of these require action from national Government, some from local partners and many from both. We have ensured wide distribution of the Pathfinder Fund Mapping report to enable local partners to benefit directly from information on the range of Pathfinder projects and how they are contributing to the Prevent strategy. We published "Delivering Prevent—Responding to Learning" on 10 December, which sets out the key strands of learning from the reviews and work already under way to address these key themes. We will continue to develop our response to the reviews throughout the year. A copy of "Delivering Prevent—Responding to Learning" has been placed in the House Library and can also be downloaded at:
	www.communities.gov.uk/documents/communities/pdf/1098129.pdf

Community Relations

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when the new Centre of Excellence referred to in her press release of 10 December 2008 entitled Government steps up the fight against extremism, will be set up; how many people it will employ; what support it will provide to whom; what the annual running costs are expected to be; and if she will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: At the 10 December Prevent 08 Conference the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government stated that over the coming months a 'national centre of excellence' would be developed to be up and running in 2009, that any local area can access for practical advice on Prevent.
	We are currently working with local and national partners to agree how the centre will operate.

Community Relations: Islam

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which Muslims participate in the initiative that brings together UK and US Muslims referred to in her press release of 10 December 2008 entitled Government steps up the fight against extremism; how they were selected; how often they meet; what they discuss; and if she will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: The Government, working with the US, supported an initiative which aims to create a network among British and American Pakistani community figures to share experience and information about integration, and to explore ways in which such communities can promote integration and in doing so, increase their resilience to violent extremism.
	A group of US Muslims from a range of vocational backgrounds visited the UK in October 2008. They met with counterparts in the UK. The UK participants were volunteers from a range of backgrounds, but with an interest in community integration issues. During the visit the participants also met with young people to discuss these issues. We envisage there being future engagement between the members of the Pakistani communities from the two countries.

Departmental Public Relations

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Rochford and Southend, East, (James Duddridge) of 6 October 2008,  Official Report, columns 304-05W, on departmental public relations, which companies were employed during the period; how much her Department spent on each such contract; and on what project each company worked.

Sadiq Khan: Central Office of Information billings (which may include COI admin fees) to this Department and its predecessor in relation to public relations agencies on the COI Framework for the period specified is as follows:
	
		
			   Department  Activity  Company  Total (£) 
			 2005-06 Office of the Deputy Prime Minister HMO Licensing Amazon PR 21,928.65 
			   Local e-gov take-up campaign Blue Rubicon 64,297.00 
			 Total86,225.65 
			  
			 2006-07 Office of the Deputy Prime Minister HMO Licensing Amazon PR 116,392.98 
			   Local e-gov take-up campaign Blue Rubicon 117,068.00 
			  Department for Communities and Local Government Local e-gov take-up campaign Blue Rubicon 93,109.83 
			   Tenancy Deposit Protection Blue Rubicon 171,719.00 
			 Total498,289.81 
			  
			 2007-08 Department for Communities and Local Government Energy Performance in Buildings Directive COI admin fee 3,400.00 
			   Tenancy Deposit Protection Blue Rubicon 36,167.90 
			 Total39,567.90 
			 Grand total624,083.36

Fire Services: Finance

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding from her Department has been allocated to  (a) the Fireguard project and  (b) regional fire control rooms.

Sadiq Khan: Fireguard is a collaborative project between 33 fire and rescue authorities. The procurement was undertaken at their request, and on a self-financing basis, by Firebuy Ltd., the national procurement body for the fire and rescue service, which is sponsored by my Department. The Department itself has not allocated any funds to this project.
	The total cost of the FiReControl project is £380 million. To fund local and regional costs of implementing FiReControl, a total of £42 million has been paid to fire and rescue authorities to date and an additional £66 million has been indicated over the remaining two years of the CSR07 period (2009-10 and 2010-11).

Fire Services: Working Hours

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of fire and rescue services' retained duty system; and if she will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: The retained duty system, which covers 30 per cent. of all firefighters, enables Fire and Rescue Authorities to provide a community based service including fire prevention, protection and emergency response in areas away from main urban centres. I welcome the progress which fire and rescue authorities have made in addressing issues of recruitment and retention, with vacancies falling from over 20 per cent. in 2003-04 to 13 per cent. in 2007-08. The Department will continue to support the Fire and Rescue Service to strengthen the retained duty system.

Fire Services: Working Hours

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what implications for retained firefighters she has identified consequent upon implementation of the working time directive.

Sadiq Khan: Implementation of the working time directive, by setting a 48-hour maximum to the working week, would greatly reduce the hours which firefighters working the retained duty system could be available for duty, especially the substantial numbers who work full-time for their primary employer. The UK Government therefore place great importance on retaining its opt-out from the directive, a position that was acknowledged by the European Union Council of Ministers in June when it agreed in the Common Position that it should be retained, and will continue to defend it.
	The amendments to the Common Position voted by the European Parliament on 17 December are the latest step in a complex negotiation, the next phase being for the Council of Ministers to consider the amendments, followed by a process of conciliation between both parties, the presidency and the Commission. Officials from my Department will be consulting a range of fire and rescue service stakeholders to ensure that the potential impact is assessed fully; and working with the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, which has the UK lead on the working time directive, to inform the ongoing debate and ensure MEPs and EU member states are briefed appropriately.

Housing: Inspections

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people were training to become a registered home inspector at the latest date for which figures are available.

Iain Wright: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to the hon. Member for Montgomeryshire (Lembit pik) on 6 June 2008,  Official Report, column 1177W. This is the latest date for which figures are available and represents the total number of people registered for home inspector training since its inception in 2004.

Local Government: Disclosure of Information

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what monitoring her Department carries out of the implementation and practice of whistleblowing policies by local authorities; and if she will make a statement.

John Healey: The Department does not monitor councils' policies on whistle blowing, which are matters for individual councils.
	However, on 24 December 2008, we concluded a consultation on introducing a model code of conduct for local authority employees which included a proposed provision that where an employee becomes aware of activities that the employee considers to be illegal, improper or unethical, the employee should report the matter in accordance with the employees rights under the Public Disclosure Act 1998.
	We are now considering the responses we have received to the consultation.

Owner Occupation

Michael Jabez Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her latest estimate is of  (a) the number of (i) homeowners, (ii) homeowners with mortgages and (iii) repossessions that have taken place in the last 12 months and  (b) the number of repossessions which will take place in the next 12 months (A) in total and (B) as a percentage of the number of mortgaged properties.

Iain Wright: In 2007, based on estimates from the Labour Force Survey there were 14,733,000 owner-occupiers in England of whom 8,228,000 had a mortgage.
	According to data from the Council of Mortgage Lenders, at the end of 2007 there were 11,822,000 homeowners with mortgages in the UK. During that year 26,200 repossessions had taken place(1).
	The Council of Mortgage Lenders have forecast that there will be around 45,000 (0.38 per cent. of all mortgages) repossessions occurring during 2008 and 75,000 (0.66 per cent. of all mortgages) during 2009(1).
	(1) The CML data on mortgages and repossessions include buy to let mortgages (as well as owner-occupier mortgages). Their forecasts are available on their website at:
	http://www.cml.org.uk/cml/publications/marketcommentary/109

Social Rented Housing

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps the Government are taking to provide more social housing in  (a) England,  (b) the North East,  (c) the Tees Valley and  (d) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland.

Iain Wright: In England, over the three years 2008-11, we are investing over 8 billion in affordable housing through the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA). Around 6.5 billion of this will be directed towards social rented homes.
	Of the 8 billion around 170 million is to be used for affordable housing in the North East region. We have not set out funding below regional level. Bids for HCA funds are made on a competitive basis. The HCA will publish quarterly the allocations made as a result of approvals of bids on their website:
	www.homesandcommunities.cu.uk
	On 2 September we announced a 1 billion market rescue package to increase confidence, stability and fairness in the housing market, building on the previous announcements in May and July. As part of this package, and the pre-Budget report we are bringing forward 550 million in order to deliver up to 7,500 new social homes over the next eighteen months on top of current assumptions.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Nature Conservation: British Antarctic Territory

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to protect marine wildlife and promote biodiversity in the British Antarctic Territory.

Gillian Merron: I have been asked to reply.
	The UK is committed to ensuring the highest possible standards of environmental protection in Antarctica. The UK Antarctic Act 1994 fully implements the 1991 Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty which sets out a framework for the comprehensive protection of the Antarctic environment. The UK is also fully committed to the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, the key objective of which is the conservation of Antarctic marine living resources. In addition to the science and environmental monitoring activities carried out by the British Antarctic survey, the UK also supports a range of specific environmental projects in the British Antarctic Territory to enhance conservation and raise awareness of the Antarctic environment.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Africa: Overseas Aid

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support he has made available to those Saharans currently residing in camps  (a) in Algeria and  (b) displaced elsewhere in Africa.

Ivan Lewis: The Department for International Development (DFID) supports Western Saharan refugees through its share of the European Community Humanitarian Aid Office's (ECHO) budget, and contributions to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). ECHO provided 10 million in 2008 to support Western Saharan refugees of which the UK share was approximately 140,000. UNHCR continue to provide assistance to Western Saharan refugees with US$7.8 million provided in 2008. DFID does not contribute directly to the UNHCR appeal for Western Saharan refugees, but is the sixth largest donor to UNHCR, providing US$56 million in non-earmarked flexible funding to its annual budget in 2007 and a similar amount in 2008.
	Around 90,000 Western Saharan refugees are reported to be living in Algeria; none are reported to be living elsewhere in Africa. Around 600 more are dispersed across other parts of the globe.

Charities

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development to which  (a) charities and  (b) voluntary organisations his Department has provided funding in the last five years; and how much funding was provided to each.

Michael Foster: I have placed a table in the Library providing details of the Department for International Development's (DFID) aid delivered through UK Civil Society Organisations over the last five years.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Viral Haemorrhagic Disease

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to help alleviate the effects of the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Ivan Lewis: The Department for International Development (DFID) is funding Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) Belgium's emergency epidemiological survey and response health project that has responded to the current outbreak with the provision of adapted isolation units and specialist staff. With funds from the humanitarian pooled fund (to which DFID provides 50 per cent. of funding), the World Health Organisation (WHO) is providing additional specialised health input. WHO received $6.3 million from the humanitarian pooled fund in 2008.
	The WHO Health Actions in Crisis department (WHO/HAC) in Geneva has sent one of their epidemiologists to the region. DFID is providing 1.95 million to WHO/HAC in 2008.
	No requests for any further funding have been received by DFID in response to this current Ebola outbreak. DFID DRC will continue to monitor the situation, and any need for funding, closely.

Departmental Catering

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what  (a) directly-operated and  (b) franchised catering outlets his Department provides for staff.

Michael Foster: There is a staff restaurant in each of our two UK offices. Both of these are operated under contract by Charlton House Catering Services Ltd.

Departmental Languages

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many  (a) Ministers and  (b) civil servants in his Department received coaching in a foreign language in the last 12 months; what expenditure his Department incurred in providing such coaching; and in what languages such coaching was provided.

Ivan Lewis: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 15 July 2008,  Official Report, column 317W.
	No Minister has received coaching in a foreign language funded by the Department in the last 12 months.

Departmental Marketing

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many complaints about advertisements sponsored or funded by his Department were made to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in each year from 1997 to 2008; and how many of these were upheld by the ASA in each year.

Michael Foster: The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) received no complaints about advertisements sponsored or funded by the Department for International Development (DFID) in each year from 1997 to 2008.

Departmental Pay

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development with reference to the answer to the right hon. Member for Wokingham (Mr. Redwood) of22 July 2008,  Official Report, column 992W, on departmental pay, what the  (a) total amount paid in bonuses was,  (b) number of staff who were eligible for a bonuses and received (i) no bonus, (ii) a medium bonus and (iii) a maximum bonus was and  (c) value of each of the five highest bonuses was; and what process is used to determine the level of bonus.

Ivan Lewis: The table that appears in answer to the right hon. Member for Wokingham (Mr. Redwood) on 22 July 2008,  Official Report , column 992W, on departmental pay, was based on incomplete data and should have read:
	
		
			   SCS staff not receiving a maximum bonus 
			   Number  Percentage 
			 2006-07 67 out of 87 77 
			 2007-08 72 out of 96 75 
		
	
	Department for International Development (DFID) senior civil service (SCS) members are eligible for a non-consolidated bonus award. Bonuses are intended to reward delivery of personal business objectives during the reporting year or other personal contributions to wider organisational objectives. In considering SCS members for bonus, an SCS pay committee takes into account:
	performance against agreed priority business objectives or targets;
	total delivery record over the year;
	relative stretch (i.e. the challenge of the job compared to that of others); and
	response to unforeseen events that affected the performance agreement.
	DFID paid a total of 504,000 in non-consolidated bonuses to 62 senior civil servants for the 2006-07 reporting year and 641,510 in non-consolidated performance bonuses to 71 senior civil servants for the 2007-08 reporting year.
	The following table gives a breakdown of the number of bonuses, awarded to DFID's SCS, in each category in each year:
	
		
			   Number eligible for bonus  Number of nil bonuses  Number of low bonuses  Number of medium bonuses  Number of high (maximum) bonuses 
			 2006-07 87 25 n/a 42 20 
			 2007-08 96 25 10 37 24 
		
	
	The highest bonuses for 2006-07 were all fixed at 12,500. The five highest bonuses for 2007-08 were: 22,700; 20,685; 20,048; 18,422; and 14,612.
	The process used to determine the level of bonuses in these years differed. In 2006-07 bonuses were paid at a flat rate. In 2007-08 bonuses were paid as a percentage of base salary.

Departmental Pay

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development with reference to the answer to the right hon. Member for Wokingham (Mr. Redwood) of22 July 2008,  Official Report, column 992W, on departmental pay, how many of the staff eligible for bonuses in 2007-08 were based  (a) in the UK and  (b) overseas.

Ivan Lewis: The table that appears in answer to the right hon. Member for Wokingham (Mr. Redwood) on 22 July 2008,  Official Report , column 992W, on departmental pay, should have read:
	
		
			   SCS staff not receiving a maximum bonus 
			   N umber  Percentage 
			 2006-07 67 out of 87 77 
			 2007-08 72 out of 96 75 
		
	
	Of the 96 DFID senior civil servants (SCS) eligible, to be considered, for a performance bonus in 2007-08, 68 were based in the UK and 28 were based overseas.

Departmental Recruitment

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development on how many occasions his Department has received complaints on staff  (a) recruitment and  (b) selection in the last 12 months.

Ivan Lewis: In the last year two formal complaints about external recruitment have been made to the head of corporate HR advisory group. Neither complaint was found to be valid.

Departmental Secondment

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development for how long each of the staff on secondment from his Department have been on secondment; and whether there is a maximum permitted length for such secondments.

Ivan Lewis: The following table shows the number of Department for International Development (DFID) staff who are currently on outward secondment to other organisations and the length of time they have been on secondment.
	There is no maximum permitted length for outward secondments although best practice would be three-five years maximum.
	
		
			  Length of time on secondment  Number of secondees 
			 0-6 months 18 
			 6-12 months 11 
			 12-18 months 12 
			 18-24 months 8 
			 24-30 months 6 
			 30-36 months 4 
			 36-42 months 0 
			 42-48 months 4 
			 Over 4 years 4

India Aid: Finance

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding his Department is providing to India Aid in 2008-09.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) has allocated 270 million for India in the financial year 2008-2009. In addition to this, in the 2008 calendar year, DFID contributed a further 13.2 million through the European Commission.

Somalia: Overseas Aid

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the humanitarian situation in Somalia; what steps he plans to take to protect food monitors; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 20 January 2009,  Official Report, columns 1311-12W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Chorley (Mr. Hoyle).
	The Department for International Development (DFID) does not take independent action to protect food monitors on the ground.

Sudan: Overseas Aid

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what aid he is providing to support the process of capacity-building in the build-up to the elections in Sudan as part of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement;
	(2)  what assistance his Department is providing to capacity-building projects established in preparation for elections in Sudan in 2009.

Ivan Lewis: The UK Government are working with the international community and Sudanese counterparts to ensure that an acceptable and peaceful process of elections takes place within the Comprehensive Peace Agreement timeline. Capacity building of key institutions and groups is central to this.
	DFID is providing grants of over 1.13 million to media and civil society capacity building programmes in 2008 and 2009. In addition, DFID contributed 1.5 million to the UNDP-managed fund for preparatory support to the elections.
	The UK has also provided support to a Swedish-based International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance project to build the capacity of political parties, including 550,000 from the British embassy in first phase (2006-08) and 1 million from DFID has been allocated to the next phase.

Sudan: Overseas Aid

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when he will assess the effectiveness of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in Sudan with reference to the support provided by donor nations.

Ivan Lewis: The core body mandated to assess CPA implementation is the Assessment and Evaluation Commission (AEC). The UK was instrumental in the appointment of Sir Derek Plumbly as its Chair and participates in the Security, Wealth-Sharing, Power-Sharing and the Transitional Areas sub-committees.
	Assessment of the effectiveness of the CPA is an ongoing process. The AEC Plenary meets monthly and brings together representatives of the two parties to the CPA. In July 2008, the AEC conducted a mid-term assessment of CPA implementation. This report is a public document and is available on request.
	The Multi Donor Trust Funds (MDTFs) (National and South), set up under the auspices of the CPA, are the primary mechanisms for donors to support the reconstruction and development of war-affected regions in Sudan. Both funds are managed by the World Bank, and monitored by an independent agent.

Zimbabwe: Life Expectancy

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what information his Department holds on the average life expectancy of females of child-bearing age in Zimbabwe.

Ivan Lewis: The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated in 2006 that the average female life expectancy in Zimbabwe was 34 years of age. This is the most recent estimate. There are no statistics on average life expectancy of women of child bearing age specifically in Zimbabwe. Recent demographic estimates suggest that women of reproductive age have a one in 16 lifetime chance of dying as a result of pregnancy and childbirth.
	DFID is providing assistance to support the distribution of antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) to over 40,000 people in 2009 of whom at least 55 per cent. are women. In addition, DFID is spending 25 million on reproductive and maternal health care to help women gain access to contraceptives, essential antenatal care, and emergency obstetric care in order to save lives and protect their health and the health of newborns. We are also working with the UN and others to support broader essential health services, bring the country's worst ever cholera outbreak under control and to provide food aid to over five million Zimbabweans.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Crewe Railway Station

Edward Timpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what representations the Crewe Survey of the Duchy has received on the future of Crewe railway station.

Liam Byrne: The Duchy of Lancaster has not received any representations on the future of Crewe railway station.

Prostate Cancer

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many people were diagnosed with prostate cancer in  (a) 2001,  (b) 2002,  (c) 2003,  (d) 2004,  (e) 2005,  (f) 2006 and  (g) 2007; and in how many cases in each year the prognosis was that the cancer was terminal.

Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 21 January 2009:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many people were diagnosed with prostate cancer in (a) 2001, (b), 2002, (c) 2003, (d) 2004, (e) 2005, (0 2006 and (g) 2007; and in how many cases in each year the prognosis was that the cancer was terminal.
	The latest available figures for newly diagnosed cases of cancer (incidence) are for the year 2006. Table 1 gives the numbers of newly diagnosed cases of prostate cancer in England in (a) 2001, (b) 2002, (c) 2003, (d) 2004, (e) 2005, (f) 2006, the latest available figures.
	Information on whether the prognosis was terminal is not available. Whether the cancer was terminal could be indicated by the stage/progression of the disease. The stage data collected is not nationally comparable, and reflects differences in what is meant by stage rather than real differences in what clinicians use to classify the patients. The United Kingdom Association of Cancer Registries (UKACR) is investigating what should be counted as a complete stage in an attempt to be able to provide comparable data in the future.
	
		
			  Table 1: Registrations of newly diagnosed cases of prostate cancer( 1)  in England, 2001 - 06 
			   Number 
			 2001 27,724 
			 2002 27,878 
			 2003 28,074 
			 2004 30,320 
			 2005 28,886 
			 2006 30,024 
			 (1) Prostate cancer is coded to C61 in the International Classification of Diseases. Tenth Revision (ICD-10) (2) Based on 2007 boundaries  Source: Office for National Statistics

Social Enterprises

Margaret Moran: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many social enterprises were established during 2008.

Kevin Brennan: The most recent figures suggest that there are at least 55,000 social enterprises in the UK. Social enterprises are not, however, defined by a particular legal form and as a result are not required to register with any one body. Information on the number of social enterprises established in any particular year is, therefore, unavailable.

Social Enterprises

Margaret Moran: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many social enterprises have  (a) been established and  (b) ceased operating since 1997.

Kevin Brennan: The most recent figures suggest that there are at least 55,000 social enterprises in the UK. Social enterprises are not, however, defined by a particular legal form and as a result are not required to register with any one body. Information on the number of social enterprises that have been established or have ceased operating is, therefore, unavailable.

Social Enterprises: Finance

Margaret Moran: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much the  (a) Futurebuilders fund,  (b) Adventure Capital fund,  (c) Community Builders fund and  (d) UnLtd have disbursed to social enterprises and social entrepreneurs since each was established.

Kevin Brennan: The amount of funding from these organisations specifically allocated to social enterprises is not available. Social enterprises are not defined by a particular legal form and as a result are not required to register with any one body or specifically identify themselves as such. However,
	 (a) Futurebuilders has disbursed 50 million to over 260 third sector organisations looking to build their capacity to compete for and win public service contracts. Of these organisations, we anticipate that many of these investees will be social enterprises.
	 (b) The Adventure Capital Fund has disbursed a total of 10,279,749 to date. Many of these will also be social enterprises.
	 (c) The 70 million Communitybuilders fund is currently procuring a national partner and it is intended that the partner will begin disbursing monies in the summer of 2009. It is anticipated that many of the recipient organisations will be social enterprises.
	 (d) UnLtd is an independent organisation that provides cash funding, practical support and networking opportunities to around 1,000 social entrepreneurs per year across the UK. The Office of the Third Sector does not fund UnLtd grants. Details of UnLtd grant recipients to date are available in their annual report and accounts

Teenage Pregnancy: Essex

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the percentage change in the rate of conceptions among girls aged under  (a) 18 and  (b) 16 years in (i) Southend and (ii) Essex has been since 2004.

Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated January 2009:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what the percentage change in the rate of conceptions among girls aged under (a) 18 years and (b) 16 years in (i) Southend and (ii) Essex has been since 2004. (247753)
	Available figures are estimates of the number of conceptions that resulted in a live birth, stillbirth or legal termination.
	Conception rate and percentage change in the rate among girls aged under 18 and under 16 for Southend UA and Essex between 2004 and 2006 (the most recent year for which figures are available), are provided in the attached table.
	
		
			  Conception rate( 1, 2 ) and percentage change( 3)  in the rate among girls aged under 16 and under 18 for Southend and Essex, 2004-06 
			   2004 rate  2006 rate  Percentage change 
			  Under 16
			 Southend UA 9.4 9.3 -0.3 
			 Essex County 5.6 6.3 13.5 
			 
			  Under 18
			 Southend UA 47.4 48.8 2.9 
			 Essex County 30.5 32.5 6.5 
			 (1) Rates are per 1,000 female population aged 13-15. (2) Rates are per 1,000 female population aged 15-17. (3) Percentage change is based on unrounded rates.

Voluntary Organisations

David Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what discussions has he had with representatives of the voluntary sector on the effect of the current economic situation on their activities.

Kevin Brennan: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the right hon. Member for Gordon (Malcolm Bruce) on 14 January 2009,  Official Report, column 740W.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan: Asylum

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of progress by the Afghan government in meeting its commitments to provide land for Afghan refugees under the Land Allocation Scheme; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: The Land Allocation Scheme is an ambitious Afghanistan government program designed to distribute intact and uncultivated government land to landless returnees and internally displaced persons for housing. It is intended to provide a long-term solution to a complex problem.
	The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is supporting the Afghanistan Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation to strengthen capacity, at national and local levels. Though the scheme is not yet as widespread or effective as the situation requires, according to UNHCR as of June 2008, 32,586 families have received temporary land ownership deeds.

Armed Conflict: Reconstruction

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made on the development of a more deployable UK civilian capability, as referred to in his Department's Autumn 2008 Performance Report.

David Miliband: A Cabinet Office review of the UK's civilian expert capacity was completed last year. The key Departments responsible for delivery of this capacity, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Department for International Development, the Ministry of Defence and the Stabilisation Unit are now taking forward the recommendations to enhance the effectiveness of our deployable civilian capability, both through improving the quality and readiness of deployable civilian experts from current sources and examining the introduction of new processes for identifying and deploying such personnel.

Bosnia: Passports

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of citizens of Bosnia-Herzegovina who have been issued  (a) Serbian and  (b) Croatian passports since the Dayton Peace Accord of 1995.

David Miliband: The Government have not made an estimate of the number of citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) who have been issued with Serbian or Croatian passports since 1995. The Bosnian authorities have no formal figures for the number of dual nationals in BiH. BiH has not had a population census since 1991.

British Council: Finance

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what funding his Department has provided for the British Council's Reconnect initiative in each year to 2010-11.

Caroline Flint: I refer my hon. Friend to the written answer I gave to the hon. Member for Rayleigh (Mr. Francois) on 12 January 2008,  Official Report column 355W.

Burma: Politics and Government

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the government of Burma on the rights of people belonging to opposition groups in that country.

Bill Rammell: In regular contacts between our embassy in Rangoon and the Burmese military government, we continue to stress the need for all political actors, including Aung San Suu Kyi, the National League for Democracy and other democratic groups, to be allowed to play their full part in shaping the country's future. Most recently, our ambassador expressed the UK's deep concern to the Burmese Foreign Minister about the severe prison sentences handed down to democratic and human rights activists in late 2008.
	My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has repeatedly reaffirmed the UK's commitment to democracy in Burma. In May 2008 under UK chairmanship, the UN Security Council reaffirmed its demand for the regime to start an inclusive political process. We still hold to this demand, and continue to support the UN Secretary-General's efforts to break the political deadlock. We continue to lobby countries in the region to bring pressure on the Burmese regime to reform.

Cuba: Overseas Trade

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Government of Cuba on the terms of the trade embargo between the UK and Cuba.

Gillian Merron: There is no trade embargo between the UK and Cuba. A number of UK businesses operate in Cuba and our embassy in Havana offers assistance to British companies looking to work there. The UK continues to oppose the US trade embargo against Cuba.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Armed Conflict

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the governments of  (a) Uganda,  (b) Rwanda and  (c) Burundi on compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 1807 for the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Gillian Merron: We have encouraged the governments of Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda to exert tighter controls over their borders to prevent the illegal trade of natural resources and weapons. In particular, we have called on the government of Rwanda to take steps to deter the recruitment activities of illegal armed groups from eastern DRC within their territory. We have called upon the government of Burundi to respond constructively to requests by the UN Group of Experts, which is mandated under UN Security Council Resolution 1870 to investigate the means by which illegal armed groups operating in the Democratic Republic of Congo receive funding, weapons and other support.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Armed Conflict

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the government of Rwanda following the report on 12 December 2008 by the UN panel of experts (S/2008/773), on that report's allegation that the Rwandan government is supporting the rebel group National Congress for the Defence of the People in the Democratic Republic of Congo; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: We are committed to help bring about a peaceful solution to the violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and have urged the Rwandan authorities to take a constructive approach to dealing with illegal militias and to curtail support for them from within Rwanda. We continue to press both the Rwandan and DRC governments at the highest levels to respond constructively to the UN Group of Experts' recommendations.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Armed Forces

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what military training the UK has given to the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo in the Democratic Republic of Congo since 2005.

Gillian Merron: The UK has provided the armed forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) with several training projects since 2005. These include:
	a peacekeeping English language project, which has to date trained over 200 students;
	training of 20 members of the FARDC as interpreters; and
	leadership training for 30 FARDC junior officers by Sandhurst instructors.
	Training on Security Sector Reform has also been provided for the FARDC Chief of Staff and senior FARDC officers. In addition, the UK has run several individual courses for FARDC officers at African British Training Centres including:
	(a) managing defence in the wider security environment;
	(b) collective training;
	(c) peace support operations;
	(d) managing defence within a democracy.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Military Aid

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Government has provided assistance to the government of Democratic Republic of Congo on arms stockpile management and weapons import marking.

Gillian Merron: holding answer 19 January 2009
	 The UK is one of the largest bilateral donors in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), contributing some 70 million this financial year to build a capable and accountable state, reducing violent conflict and its impact. This includes a number of projects designed to promote Security Sector reform. However, we have not provided assistance to the government of the DRC specifically on arms stockpile management or weapons import marking.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Mining

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which UK-based companies have been involved in the exportation of  (a) cassiterite,  (b) coltan and  (c) wolframite from the Democratic Republic of Congo, as referred to in the report of 12 December 2008 by the UN panel of experts (S/2008/773).

Gillian Merron: We are aware of a number of UK-based companies involved in mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo, although precise details of their activities are not held. Only oneAfrimex, which is involved in the exportation of cassiteriteis referred to by name in the UN panel of experts report.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Peacekeeping Operations

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Government supports proposals to widen MONUC's mandate to include the establishment of border-monitoring teams to check goods entering the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Gillian Merron: We fully support the mandate of the UN mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC), which was renewed by UN Security Council resolution 1856 (2008) on 22 December 2008. The mandate includes provisions for the mission to inspect without notice aircraft and any transport vehicle using the ports, airports and border crossings into North and South Kivu and Ituri. It also requires MONUC to use its monitoring capacities to curtail the provision of support to illegal armed groups derived from the illicit trade in natural resources.
	Recent events in the DRC demonstrate that poor governance of natural resources can act as a significant contributing factor to the resurgence of violence. It is important that DRC's mineral wealth is brought under legitimate control, both as a source of much-needed revenue for the state and to restrict financial support to illegal armed groups.

Departmental Data Protection

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what percentage of the IT systems in  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies are fully accredited to the Government's security standards.

Gillian Merron: Currently 83 per cent. of the IT systems in the FCO and its agencies are fully accredited to the Government's security standards. The remaining 17 per cent. is being accredited in parallel to deployment.

Departmental Data Protection

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many members of staff have been  (a) investigated,  (b) suspended and  (c) dismissed for losing (i) memory sticks, (ii) laptop computers, (iii) desktop computers and (iv) mobile telephones in each year since 1997.

Gillian Merron: Our records show that since 1997 no members of staff have been investigated, suspended or dismissed for loss of equipment.

Departmental Pay

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy that temporary and permanent employees of his Department employed at the same grade receive the same hourly rate of pay.

Gillian Merron: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) pays staff whom it employs directly on temporary contracts exactly the same rates of pay as permanent members of staff.
	Some temporary staff are supplied by agencies. These staff are employed and paid by the agency concerned, which then charges a fee to the FCO. Individual agencies determine the rates of pay for their agency staff.

Departmental Pay

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much has been spent by his Department on staff reward and recognition schemes in each of the last three years.

Gillian Merron: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) uses non-consolidated, non-pensionable bonuses to encourage high performance. We pay annual bonuses to staff in the delegated grades (all except senior managers) based on appraisal evidence of annual performance. The highest rating and bonus award is given only where performance has significantly exceeded challenging objectives and may have radically transformed delivery of policy and/or services.
	Variable pay (bonus) arrangements for staff in the Senior Management Structure/Senior Civil Service (SMS/SCS) of the FCO follow a framework set centrally for Whitehall Departments by the Cabinet Office.
	The total amounts spent by the FCO in the last three years are as shown in the following table:
	
		
			
			 2006 5,854,853 
			 2007 6,572,028 
			 2008 6,934,909

Departmental Public Expenditure

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the  (a) underspend and  (b) overspend on country budgets in his Department was in the last financial year for which figures are available, broken down by country.

David Miliband: The underspend and overspend, on administration budgets by country, for 2007-08 are shown in the following table. Programme budgets have not been included as they are not readily broken down by country and to do so would incur disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  FCO table of overspends and underspends by country for the year to 31 March 2008 
			   
			  Country  Overspend  Underspend 
			 Afghanistan 1,829,169  
			 Albania  15,794 
			 Algeria  247,264 
			 Angola  148,090 
			 Antigua  1,574 
			 Argentina 39,842  
			 Armenia  6,400 
			 Australia 444,530  
			 Austria  6,604 
			 Azerbaijan  40,217 
			 Bahrain 31,312  
			 Bangladesh 25,914  
			 Barbados 22,602  
			 Belarus 27,094  
			 Belgium 153,654  
			 Belize  28,650 
			 Bolivia 5,516  
			 Bosnia and Herzegovina 13,836  
			 Botswana 13,977  
			 Brazil 545,055  
			 Brunei  4,084 
			 Bulgaria  133,081 
			 Burma 559  
			 Cambodia 27,317  
			 Cameroon 17,289  
			 Canada 129,046  
			 Chile 21,997  
			 China 261,156  
			 Colombia 256,419  
			 Congo (Democratic Republic) 67,617  
			 Costa Rica  15,183 
			 Croatia 23,143  
			 Cuba 40,779  
			 Cyprus 53,120  
			 Czech Republic  106,641 
			 Denmark 18,138  
			 Dominican Republic 242,434  
			 Ecuador  5,132 
			 Egypt 1,066  
			 Eritrea  9,429 
			 Estonia 42,108  
			 Ethiopia 105,325  
			 Fiji  14,929 
			 Finland  20,781 
			 France 876,048  
			 Gambia  7,184 
			 Georgia  49,883 
			 Germany 63,556  
			 Ghana  217,177 
			 Greece  124,721 
			 Grenada  9,851 
			 Guatemala  39,847 
			 Guyana 79,488  
			 Hungary 9,443  
			 Iceland  12,934 
			 India  1,374,592 
			 Indonesia 16,333  
			 Iran  178,682 
			 Iraq  198,174 
			 Ireland 20,997  
			 Israel 102,215  
			 Italy 335,917  
			 Ivory Coast 1,356  
			 Jamaica  60,610 
			 Japan  376,801 
			 Jordan  93,590 
			 Kazakhstan 29,568  
			 Kenya 15,490  
			 Kuwait  36,753 
			 Latvia  14,047 
			 Lebanon  177,959 
			 Libya  59,087 
			 Lithuania 8,674  
			 Luxembourg 8,283  
			 Macedonia  24,625 
			 Malawi  57,301 
			 Malaysia 61,110  
			 Malta 7,164  
			 Mauritius 1,124  
			 Mexico  129,524 
			 Moldova  1,103 
			 Mongolia  132,134 
			 Montenegro 152,457  
			 Morocco 34,619  
			 Mozambique  12,557 
			 Namibia  12,374 
			 Nepal 25,684  
			 Netherlands  183,216 
			 New Zealand 85,101  
			 Nicaragua 526  
			 Nigeria  422,578 
			 North Korea 143,957  
			 Norway 40,995  
			 Oman 9,571  
			 Pakistan  292,411 
			 Panama 11,465  
			 Papua New Guinea 172,848  
			 Paraguay 5,077  
			 Peru  6,282 
			 Philippines  62,912 
			 Poland 5,523  
			 Portugal 16,386  
			 Qatar 1,800  
			 Romania  11,106 
			 Russia  60,451 
			 Rwanda  38,117 
			 Saudi Arabia  150,635 
			 Senegal  28,808 
			 Serbia  296,472 
			 Seychelles  60,453 
			 Sierra Leone 56,651  
			 Singapore  27,444 
			 Slovakia 11,844  
			 Slovenia 13,972  
			 Solomon Islands  930 
			 South Africa  159,205 
			 South Korea 6,995  
			 Spain 465,605  
			 Sri Lanka  28,312 
			 St. Lucia  1,447 
			 St. Vincent 3,005  
			 Sudan 411,054  
			 Swaziland 668  
			 Sweden  13,619 
			 Switzerland 180,156  
			 Syria 98,093  
			 Tajikistan  35,943 
			 Tanzania  17,202 
			 Thailand  202,030 
			 Trinidad and Tobago  117,417 
			 Tunisia 29,117  
			 Turkey 176,609  
			 Turkmenistan  33,440 
			 Uganda 67,240  
			 Ukraine  93,746 
			 United Arab Emirates  147,554 
			 Uruguay 3,490  
			 United States 495,968  
			 Uzbekistan  49,406 
			 Vatican City 198  
			 Venezuela  8,105 
			 Vietnam  24,871 
			 Yemen 106,095  
			 Zambia 2,743  
			 Zimbabwe  17,063

Departmental Rail Travel

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what date he last used a train in the course of his official duties.

David Miliband: I last used a train in the course of my official duties on 12 December 2008, returning from Brussels to London, after attending the European Council.
	All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code.

Departmental Written Questions

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on how many occasions in the last 12 months Ministers in his Department have used their discretion to rule that a parliamentary question for written answer should be answered because it would be in the public interest to do so, even though to do so would exceed the disproportionate cost threshold of 700.

Gillian Merron: This information is not held centrally, so to provide an answer to the hon. Member would incur a disproportionate cost.

Falkland Islands: Fossil Fuels

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance his Department plans to provide to the Falkland Islands government to extract oil and gas.

Gillian Merron: The Government continue to support the Falkland Islands' right to develop their hydrocarbons resources as my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister restated in his new year message to the Falkland Islanders.
	The development of the sector is primarily a matter for the Falkland Islands government. The new Falkland Islands Constitution makes clearas did the previous Constitutionthat the people of the Falklands have the right to dispose of their natural wealth and resources. The Government have a strategic interest in the way in which progress is made, and will continue to provide guidance and advice to ensure that the Falkland Islands government is able to plan for, and manage, all the challenges and responsibilities that come with a hydrocarbons sector including security, health and safety or socio-economic issues.

Holidays Abroad: Health Services

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his European counterparts on the provision of health care for British citizens who are taken ill whilst on holiday in their countries.

Gillian Merron: holding answer 19 January 2009
	 The Foreign Secretary has had no recent discussions of these issues with his European counterparts.

Holidays Abroad: Health Services

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received from UK organisations on the provision of health care for British citizens who are taken ill whilst on holiday outside the UK.

Gillian Merron: holding answer 19 January 2009
	 We have received no representations from UK organisations on the provision of health care for British citizens taken ill while on holiday overseas.

Intelligence Services

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what protocols and procedures govern the sharing of intelligence by the United Kingdom Intelligence Services with the intelligence services of allied countries.

David Miliband: It is the long-standing policy of the Government not to comment on operational intelligence matters.

International Relations

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made on his Department's Global Dialogue Strategy, as referred to on page 18 of his Department's Autumn 2008 Performance Report; and which 27 target country posts are involved.

David Miliband: We have begun a dialogue with a number of states on the need to consider whether our current international organisations are best equipped to confront the challenges of the 21(st) century. The states we have so far engaged are those that play a key role in the existing international system and will have a view on how we can make it more effective in the future.

Jestina Mukoko

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the whereabouts and safety of the human rights activist Jestina Mukoko, Director of the Zimbabwe Peace Project; and what representations he has made to the Zimbabwean authorities regarding her disappearance.

Gillian Merron: Jestina Mukoko, director of the Zimbabwe Peace Project, was discovered in Matapi prison in Harare on 23 December 2008 by Zimbabwe lawyers for human rights, despite official denials that her whereabouts were known. She has since been transferred between other prisons and charged, with nine others, with recruiting persons to undergo training in Botswana in order to commit acts of armed insurgency. The accused claim to have been beaten while in custody and to have been denied access to doctors. Jestina Mukoko's lawyers have filed a separate application in the High Court for those in need of treatment to be taken to hospital. No date has been fixed for this hearing.
	The Government, along with EU partners, made representation to the Zimbabwe authorities demanding the release of Jestina Mukoko and other abductees. On 6 December 2008, and with our full support, the French EU presidency issued a statement expressing the EU's deep concern and calling on the government of Zimbabwe to ensure her immediate freedom. This was conveyed to the Zimbabwean Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Harare in a dmarche by the EU Troika on 8 December 2008 and reaffirmed by the European Council on 12 December 2008. On 19 December 2008 we issued a note verbale to the Zimbabwean ambassador demanding investigations be made as to the location of Ms Mukoko and fellow abductees. We deplore this ongoing abuse of the legal and human rights of political prisoners and urge the restoration of internationally-accepted human rights standards in Zimbabwe.

Kosovo: Politics and Government

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the implementation of the conditions set out in the Ahtisaari plan for Kosovo; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: I refer the right hon. Member to my answer of 26 November 2008,  Official Report, column 1782W.
	Since that date, further progress has been made through the deployment of a police and rule of law mission which will provide assistance to the Kosovan government in policing, justice and customs.

Kosovo: Politics and Government

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has  (a) received from and  (b) made to the government of Serbia on the deployment of the EULEX mission in Kosovo; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: I refer the right hon. Member to my answer of 25 November 2008,  Official Report, column 1204W.
	President Tadic confirmed to EU High Representative Javier Solana on 28 November that Serbia intends to support EULEX deployment throughout Kosovo. Given this, there has been no need for further high level representations on this issue. We have remained in close contact with the Serbian authorities at official level following this welcome commitment.
	The deployment of EULEX throughout Kosovo is an important step forward in establishing a single rule of law for all Kosovo's citizens, and one which moves it closer on its path towards the EU. A vital ingredient in the success of this is the continuing commitment of Kosovo's government to work with EULEX.

Kosovo: Politics and Government

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the legal basis is of the European Union's EULEX mission in Kosovo; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: The EU Rule of Law Mission (EULEX) deployed across Kosovo, including in Northern Kosovo, on 9 December. This is in response to an invitation from the government of Kosovo for an EU police and rule of law mission in accordance with the UN Special Envoy's Comprehensive Settlement Proposal. In cooperation with United Nations Mission in Kosovo, EULEX will take on part of the role envisaged in UN Security Council resolution 1244 (1999) for the international civilian presence, and it accordingly also draws upon the authority of that resolution.
	EULEX is established under Title V of the Treaty on European Union. Its mandate is defined by Joint Action 2008/124/CFSP, approved by the European Council on 4 February 2008.

Kosovo: Serbia

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Russian counterpart on the future of Serbian citizens whose homes are in Kosovo.

Caroline Flint: This issue has not been on the agenda of recent ministerial discussions with Russia. However, My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary regularly raised the importance of ensuring protection of minority rights in Kosovo, including of the Kosovo Serb community, with interlocutors in the governments of both Kosovo and Serbia.

Kosovo: Serbia

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to protect the interests of Serbs within Kosovo.

Caroline Flint: The Kosovo constitution, which entered into force on 15 June 2008, includes provisions to ensure equal rights for all citizens in Kosovo, in line with the Comprehensive Settlement Proposal of UN Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari. The Kosovo government has also adopted legislation to implement protection of minority rights, including of the Kosovo Serb community. I have engaged closely with the government of Kosovo to encourage and support continued commitment in this area.

Nigeria: Oil

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken to press the Government of Nigeria to clean up oil pollution in the Nigerian Delta region.

Gillian Merron: The Government continue to raise with the Nigerian authorities our concerns at the ongoing political, security, social and environmental problems in the Niger Delta. A lasting solution will require a systematic approach on security, governance and development. We welcome the fact that President Yar'Adua has made tackling the problems of the Niger Delta a priority, and that he has just established a new Ministry and appointed a dedicated Cabinet Minister to take this work forward. We hope that there will soon be an opportunity for all stakeholder groups in Nigeria to engage in peaceful dialogue on these issues.

Peacekeeping Operations

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of a tri-departmental delivery plan on improving the UK's capability to prevent, manage and resolve conflict and build peace, referred to in his Department's Autumn 2008 Performance Report.

David Miliband: The tri-departmental delivery plan for Public Service Agreement (PSA) 30: Reduce the impact of conflict through enhanced UK and international efforts, referred to in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Autumn 2008 Performance Report, is a classified document. I am therefore unable to place a copy of this document in the Library.

Rose Kabuye

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the French Government on the case of Rose Kabuye, charged with crimes associated with the Rwandan genocide.

Gillian Merron: We have not made representations to the French Government regarding the Rose Kabuye case. This is a judicial matter for the French courts, which we hope will be resolved speedily. However, we have continued to encourage France and Rwanda to rebuild their relations and any progress towards a resolution is to be encouraged.

Serbia: Politics and Government

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his Department's policy is on Serbia's proposal for renegotiating the 1999 Kumanovo agreement; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) has not received a formal request to amend the 1999 Kumanovo Military Technical Agreement (MTA). No action is currently being taken to revise the MTA.

Somalia: Armed Conflict

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects Ethiopian troops to leave Somalia; and what assessment he has made of the likely effects of such withdrawal on Eritrea and other neighbouring states.

Gillian Merron: Ethiopian troops have now withdrawn from the capital, Mogadishu. According to the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) the Ethiopian bases have now been occupied by forces supporting the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia and the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia, who agreed in November 2008 to establish a Unity Government under the UN-sponsored Djibouti Process. Although the departure of the Ethiopians could risk further worsening the security situation in South Central Somalia, it also offers an opportunity to find a Somali-led political solution to the conflict and may relieve a point of aggravation between Ethiopia and Eritrea. A more stable Somalia would ultimately have a positive impact on the security and prosperity of the region.

St Helena

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what meetings he has had with officials from St. Helena in the last two years.

Gillian Merron: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not had any meetings with officials from St. Helena in the last two years.
	As the Minister responsible for Overseas Territories, I met Councillor William Drabble during the Overseas Territories Consultative Council in October this year, and the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, my hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield, Heeley (Meg Munn), met Councillor Brian Isaacs at the same event in December 2007. Foreign and Commonwealth Office and other Government officials are in regular contact with St. Helena officials.

Sudan: Armed Conflict

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent steps the Government has taken to monitor the situation in Darfur.

Gillian Merron: holding answer 12 January 2009
	 My noble Friend, the Minister for Africa, Asia and the UN, Lord Malloch-Brown, discussed the situation in Darfur with Djibril Bassol, African Union/UN Chief Mediator for Darfur, in London on 15 December 2008, and we are in regular contact with his office. Our ambassador in Khartoum and her staff maintain close contact with all main political groups in Darfur, non-governmental organisations working in the region, and the AU/UN peacekeeping mission in Darfur. Officials have visited all three states of Darfur in the last three months for meetings with a variety of humanitarian, civil society and political figures.

Sudan: Politics and Government

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the political situation in  (a) the Nuba Mountains,  (b) Abyei and  (c) northern Sudan; what reports he has received of inter-community tensions; whether he plans to take steps in response to such reports; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: holding  answer 17 December 2008
	 We monitor intercommunity tensions throughout Sudan through the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS), the Security Working Group of the Assessment and Evaluation Commission (AEC) and those NGOs we work with on community peace-building and conflict resolution projects.
	We monitor southern Kordofan, including the Nuba mountains, and Abyei closely. Our ambassador visited the region in November as chair of the AEC Security Working Group. The group assessed that, although there was no immediate risk of major conflict, tensions in the area remained high and the international community and UNMIS would need to continue to observe the situation closely.
	We encouraged the UN to prioritise its resources in high-risk areas including the Nuba mountains and Abyei when the Security Council discussed the Secretary-General's report on Sudan in November.

Trade: Economic Situation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what effect he anticipates the economic downturn will have on the number of business travellers from the UK to Nordic countries.

Caroline Flint: The Government does not capture statistics on business visitors to Nordic countries so would not be able to anticipate the specific effect of the economic downturn on this group. Some companies will be tempted to spend more time in the market, trying to boost exports, whilst others will respond to the downturn by cutting back on travel to overseas markets.

World War Two: Anniversaries

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received on commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Kindertransport since July 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: We are not aware of any representations to my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary since July 2008 on the 70th anniversary of the Kindertransport. However, we welcome the commemoration of this event and others of this kind to ensure that we never forget the horrors of Nazi occupation and the holocaust. It is also important to celebrate the humanitarian acts that saved lives and helped refugees to start anew.

Zimbabwe: Diamonds

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate has been made of the profits accrued from the illegal diamond trade in Zimbabwe in the latest period for which figures are available; and what proposals the Government has put forward to stop the trade.

Gillian Merron: There have been reports of an influx of thousands of illegal panners and dealers to the Marange/Chiadzwa diamond field to extract and export diamonds outside the Kimberley Process. There are no accurate data available on the value of such illicit diamond trading, but estimates are that it could run to millions of dollars.
	Reports indicate that the military have brutally stamped down on mining activities in the area. Hundreds are reported to have been killed. The use of such extreme force indicates the lengths to which the regime will go to regain control of the diamond fields.
	The UK, represented by the EU, is working with Kimberly Process partners and civil society groups to determine the most effective way of resolving the situation.

Zimbabwe: Politics and Government

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on the political situation in Zimbabwe.

Gillian Merron: Ministers are in regular contact with EU counterparts to discuss the political and humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe. The issue was on the agenda at the General Affairs and External Relations Council in July, September, November and December during the French presidency and has come up in many other contexts. It is once again on the agenda for the General Affairs and External Relations Council later this month.

Zimbabwe: Politics and Government

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent steps the Government has taken to monitor the political situation in Zimbabwe.

Gillian Merron: holding answer 19 January 2009
	 We are following the situation in Zimbabwe very closely, including through our embassy in Harare, as well as our other missions in the region, which continue to monitor the situation. Ministers maintain a keen interest in developments and are regularly briefed on the political and humanitarian situation. We are continuing to work with states in the region and the wider international community to encourage a durable solution.

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Building Schools for the Future Programme

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many jobs have been created by the Building Schools for the Future programme in each year since its establishment; and in which sectors those jobs were created.

Jim Knight: No data are available on the number of jobs created by the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme in each year since its establishment. So far, construction jobs are supported by capital allocations and commitments of 7,617 million to Wave 1 to Wave 6 of the BSF programme. This figure includes both capital grant and the capital value of PFI contracts. A tentative estimate of the number of jobs that have been and will be created across the period of construction of Wave 1 to Wave 6 is 95,000.

Building Schools for the Future Programme

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many One School Pathfinder projects have been set up by his Department under the Building Schools for the Future programme; and how many of those  (a) have received formal guidance from Partnership for Schools and  (b) have had a Partnership for Schools Director appointed to guide the project.

Jim Knight: There are 39 One School Pathfinder projects. These are not part of the Building Schools for the Future programme.
	The One School Pathfinder programme is a devolved programme that allows local authorities to rebuild one school with the highest level of building need that fits their long term strategic plans for education. The programme allows the local authority an opportunity to set up and test its approach to educational transformation in advance of joining the full Building Schools for the Future programme.
	We believe that local authorities are best placed to make local decisions, and so expect authorities to manage single school projects themselves. Partnerships for Schools do not manage the One School Pathfinder programme and has not produced guidance.

Charities

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families to which charities his Department has provided funding of 100,000 or more in each of the last three years; and how much was given to each charity.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: holding answer 10 December 2009
	The information requested can only be collated at disproportionate cost.

Child Support Agency: ICT

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how much the most recent Child Support Agency computer update cost;
	(2)  what the Child Support Agency caseload was on the most recent date for which figures are available; and what the caseload is expected to be once the update of the Agency's IT systems is fully implemented.

Kitty Ussher: I have been asked to reply.
	The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have therefore asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 21 January 2009:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
	; and
	You also asked what the Child Support Agency caseload was on the most recent date for which figures are available; and what the caseload is expected to be once the update of the Agency's IT systems is fully implemented.
	The most recent update to the Child Support Agency's computer systems was successfully implemented on 27th October 2008. This update supported the repeal of Section 6 to the Child Support Act 1991, which removed the compulsion from parents with care in receipt of income based benefits to make a claim for child maintenance through the Child Support Agency. The cost of this upgrade to our system is estimated at around 7m however final invoices have yet to be received from our IT suppliers.
	At the end of September 2008, the latest date that figures are available, the Agency had a total of 1,339,600 cases registered as live across the CSCS and CS2 computer systems. The Agency also had a total of 44,000 live clerical cases of which a significant number will be included in the cases shown as registered on the computer systems. These are cases which are being progressed clerically but remain registered on the computer systems.
	The repeal of Section 6 allows all parents to choose the child maintenance arrangements that best suit their circumstances, whether private arrangements or through the statutory maintenance schemes. The size of the future caseload of the statutory maintenance schemes is therefore dependant on the choices that parents make. Information on the size of the Agency's caseload is published each quarter in the Child Support Agency Quarterly Summary of Statistics and the next edition containing information on the impact of the recent changes is due to be published at the end of January 2009.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Children: Databases

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when he expects the ContactPoint database to become operational; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: We announced, in August 2008, that ContactPoint would be deployed from January 2009. We are on track to deploy the first phase from that date and will continue to keep Parliament informed of key developments.

Children: Health

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families on what date he expects the Child Health Strategy to be published.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 19 January 2009
	The Child Health Strategy is being developed jointly by the Department for Children, Schools and Families and Department of Health and will set out the Government's long-term strategy to support children's and families' health. It will be aimed at the NHS, local government and partnership organisations, and build on the work already being delivered through Every Child Matters and the National Service Framework for Children, Young People and Maternity Services. We hope to be in a position to publish the Child Health Strategy in February.

Children: Protection

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many established child protection officer posts there are in each local authority; and how many child protection officers each local authority employed at the latest date for which figures are available.

Beverley Hughes: Although the number of child protection officers in each local authority is not collected by the Government, the NHS Information Centre does collect and publish data relating to the number of social care staff directly employed by councils. The number of child protection officers is collected as part of this larger group of social care staff, although child protection officers and senior child protection officers are recorded in different categories (as follows). However, it is not possible to split child protection officers from these groups.
	Child protection officers are part of the category 2.35child protection, family placement, juvenile/youth justice workers. Senior child protection officers are part of the category 2.31assistant team managers/senior social workers.
	Table 1 shows the total headcount of staff for each local authority in England under these two categories as at 30 September 2007.
	
		
			  Table 1: SSDS001 return, 2007, total staff headcount by local authority ,  staff in operational divisions/not establishment-based 
			  Rounded number 
			   '2.31' Assistant team managers/senior social workers  '2.35' Child protection, family placement, juvenile/youth justice workers 
			 England 4,515 5,245 
			
			 Barking and Dagenham 30 35 
			 Barnet 60 15 
			 Barnsley 25 (1) 
			 Bath and N. E. Somerset 15 (1) 
			 Bedfordshire 30 5 
			 Bexley 25 (1) 
			 Birmingham 95 305 
			 Blackburn 15 20 
			 Blackpool 15 30 
			 Bolton 25 30 
			 Bournemouth 15 30 
			 Bracknell Forest 10 15 
			 Bradford 70 0 
			 Brent 15 30 
			 Brighton and Hove 95 75 
			 Bristol 0 (1) 
			 Bromley 75 25 
			 Buckinghamshire 20 35 
			 Bury 15 20 
			 Calderdale 15 10 
			 Cambridgeshire 60 40 
			 Camden 40 35 
			 Cheshire 0 30 
			 City of London (1) 0 
			 Cornwall 30 0 
			 Coventry 20 90 
			 Croydon 70 30 
			 Cumbria 35 105 
			 Darlington (1) (1) 
			 Derby (1) (1) 
			 Derbyshire 15 25 
			 Devon (1) 55 
			 Doncaster 25 70 
			 Dorset 35 45 
			 Dudley 35 75 
			 Durham 20 40 
			 Ealing 50 20 
			 East Riding 15 35 
			 East Sussex 55 110 
			 Enfield 25 30 
			 Essex 265 15 
			 Gateshead 15 20 
			 Gloucestershire 40 40 
			 Greenwich 35 35 
			 Hackney 35 25 
			 Halton 0 (1) 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 50 5 
			 Hampshire 30 35 
			 Haringey 60 20 
			 Harrow 10 15 
			 Hartlepool 5 (1) 
			 Havering 25 0 
			 Herefordshire 10 15 
			 Hertfordshire 90 160 
			 Hillingdon 40 30 
			 Hounslow 20 40 
			 Isle of Wight 20 25 
			 Isles of Scilly 0 0 
			 Islington 45 25 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 20 20 
			 Kent 230 195 
			 Kingston-upon-Hull 0 90 
			 Kingston-upon-Thames 25 10 
			 Kirklees 25 60 
			 Knowsley 20 (1) 
			 Lambeth 25 (1) 
			 Lancashire 20 0 
			 Leeds 15 145 
			 Leicester 40 45 
			 Leicestershire 30 20 
			 Lewisham 40 10 
			 Lincolnshire 45 30 
			 Liverpool (1) 75 
			 Luton 25 15 
			 Manchester 65 80 
			 Medway Towns 15 25 
			 Merton 10 30 
			 Middlesbrough 15 35 
			 Milton Keynes 10 30 
			 N. E. Lincolnshire 15 25 
			 N. Lincolnshire 10 20 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 15 50 
			 Newham 15 65 
			 Norfolk 80 45 
			 North Somerset 10 30 
			 North Tyneside 10 20 
			 North Yorkshire 40 120 
			 Northamptonshire 70 20 
			 Northumberland (1) 55 
			 Nottingham 5 (1) 
			 Nottinghamshire 45 10 
			 Oldham 5 35 
			 Oxfordshire 95 50 
			 Peterborough 25 45 
			 Plymouth 20 0 
			 Poole 25 10 
			 Portsmouth 10 5 
			 Reading 20 20 
			 Redbridge 25 20 
			 Redcar and Cleveland (1) 15 
			 Richmond upon Thames (1) 15 
			 Rochdale 10 55 
			 Rotherham 15 30 
			 Rutland (1) 0 
			 Salford (1) 65 
			 Sandwell 15 55 
			 Sefton 25 25 
			 Sheffield 10 20 
			 Shropshire 25 30 
			 Slough 20 20 
			 Solihull 35 25 
			 Somerset 10 50 
			 South Gloucestershire 50 5 
			 South Tyneside 15 105 
			 Southampton 30 20 
			 Southend 25 35 
			 Southwark 105 30 
			 St. Helens 10 20 
			 Staffordshire 60 90 
			 Stockport 10 45 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 5 25 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 60 35 
			 Suffolk 35 0 
			 Sunderland 30 150 
			 Surrey 90 15 
			 Sutton 35 25 
			 Swindon 25 10 
			 Tameside 15 0 
			 Telford and Wrekin 20 35 
			 Thurrock 30 20 
			 Torbay 10 (1) 
			 Tower Hamlets 25 40 
			 Trafford 20 10 
			 Wakefield 20 15 
			 Walsall 30 10 
			 Waltham Forest 25 25 
			 Wandsworth 60 35 
			 Warrington 15 (1) 
			 Warwickshire 10 (1) 
			 West Berkshire 10 20 
			 West Sussex 100 80 
			 Westminster 30 55 
			 Wigan 20 35 
			 Wiltshire 25 40 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 10 20 
			 Wirral 20 85 
			 Wokingham 5 15 
			 Wolverhampton 0 0 
			 Worcestershire 40 55 
			 York 0 0 
			 (1) Values of less than five.  Note: This table is based on the job title as defined by the individual local authority. Therefore staff with child protection responsibilities may be recorded elsewhere within the return under a different job title.  Source: SSDS001 Return, 2008

Children: Protection

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children have been made subject to child protection plans in Doncaster in each of the last five years.

Beverley Hughes: The numbers of children who have been made subject to child protection plans in Doncaster, in each of the last five years, are shown in table 9a of the following Statistical First Release:
	Referrals, Assessments and Children and Young People who are the subject of a Child Protection Plan, Englandyear ending 31 March 2008 .
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000811/index.shtml

Children's Centres: Rotheram

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much has been spent on children's centres in Rotherham Metropolitan borough council area in the last 12 months.

Beverley Hughes: As part of our commitment to reduce the burden on local authorities, we no longer request quarterly financial returns for Sure Start, Early Years and Childcare Revenue Grant. Consequently, information on total amounts spent on Sure Start Children's Centres during the last 12 months will not be available until after October 2009 when we should receive the 2008-09 audited reports from local authorities.
	However, for the 2007-08 financial year, Rotherham metropolitan borough council declared expenditure of 3,884,703 and 2,301,390 on children's centres revenue and capital respectively.
	 Note:
	1. The 3,884,703 for children centres (revenue) declared by Rotherham metropolitan council includes 1,702,534 spent on Sure Start local programmes.

Children's Centres: Warrington

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much funding children's centres in Warrington will receive in 2009-10.

Beverley Hughes: The funding allocated for children's centres for Warrington local authority in the next financial year (2009/10) are:
	
		
			
			 Revenue 2,498,955 
			 Capital 568,502 
		
	
	This represents an increase of 29 per cent. for revenue and 100 per cent. for capital on the previous year (2008/09).The allocations quoted are included within the wider Sure Start Early Years and Childcare Grant Main Revenue and Main Capital funding for Warrington of 3.9 million and 1.27 million respectively. Funding in these blocks is not ring fenced and the authority has the freedom to decide how much to spend on each area supported by the grant, in line with local priorities.

Class Sizes: Reading Berkshire

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which schools in the Reading Local Education Authority area have class sizes of more than  (a) 50 pupils,  (b) 40 pupils and  (c) 30 pupils.

Jim Knight: The requested information is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Classes as taught( 1) : Schools in Reading local authority by class sizeposition in January 2008Reading local authority area 
			  School  n ame  Number of classes of size 31 to 40 taught by one teacher  Number of classes of size 41 or more taught by one teacher 
			 Caversham Primary School 1 0 
			 Oxford Road Community School 1 0 
			 The Ridgeway Primary School 1 0 
			 Katesgrove Primary School 1 0 
			 Micklands Primary School 1 0 
			 St. John's CofE (Aided) Primary School 1 0 
			 St. Mary and All Saints Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School 1 0 
			 Reading Girls' School 1 0 
			 Redlands Primary School 2 0 
			 St. Michael's Primary School 2 0 
			 Upcroft Primary School 2 0 
			 Manor Primary School 2 0 
			 Blessed Hugh Faringdon Catholic School 2 0 
			 Churchend Primary School 3 0 
			 St. Anne's Catholic Primary School 3 0 
			 English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School 3 0 
			 Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre 3 0 
			 Park Lane Primary School 5 0 
			 George Palmer Primary School 5 0 
			 Kendrick Girls' Grammar School 6 0 
			 Prospect College 8 0 
			 (1) Classes as taught during a single selected period in each school on the day of the Census in January.  Source:  School Census

Connexions Service

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of interventions by the Connexions service involved face-to-face contact in the latest period for which figures are available.

Beverley Hughes: The latest information available is that during the period April 2007 to March 2008, 64 per cent. of interventions by the Connexions service involved face to face contact.

Connexions Service: Mobile Phones

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much it cost to establish the Connexions text message service.

Beverley Hughes: We do not have the information requested. Text message services form part of a range of helpline services on offer from Connexions Direct, including telephone, e-mail and one-to-one webchat. The budget for Connexions Direct at the time of establishing the service was 5 million for the year.

Connexions Service: Telephone Services

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much it cost to establish the Connexions phone service; and what the budget for the service was in 2008.

Beverley Hughes: We do not have the information requested. Telephone services form part of a range of helpline services on offer from Connexions Direct, including text message, e-mail and one-to-one webchat. The budget for Connexions Direct for the 2008-09 financial year is 5 million and projected spend for the 2008-09 financial year is 4,838,517.

Connexions Services: Mobile Phones

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the budget for the Connexions text message service was in 2008.

Beverley Hughes: We do not have the information broken down as requested. Text message services form part of a range of helpline services on offer from Connexions Direct, including telephone, e-mail and one-to-one webchat. The budget for Connexions Direct for the 2008-09 financial year is 5 million and projected spend for the 2008-09 financial year is 4,838,517.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many applications for the education maintenance allowance for 2008-09 are being processed.

Jim Knight: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) who operate the education maintenance allowance (EMA) for the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF). The helpline, assessment and payment function for EMA has transferred to Capita from 28 November 2008. Mark Haysom, the LSC's chief executive, will write to the hon. Member for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Libraries.

Every Child Matters Scheme: Finance

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much funding the Government has given to support the Every Child Matters scheme.

Beverley Hughes: Every Child Matters (ECM) is the Government's approach to the well-being of children and young people from birth to age 19. The Government's aim is for every child, whatever their background or their circumstances, to have the support they need to: be healthy; stay safe; enjoy and achieve; make a positive contribution; and achieve economic well-being. How this work is being taken forward is set out in the Children's Plan.
	The work of ECM covers the whole of children's services and as such spans the work of Department for Children, Schools and Families, which has a projected annual budget of 53 billion for 2008-09, 55 billion for 2009-10 and 59 billion for 2010-11.

Extracurricular Activities

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what steps the Government has taken to help local authorities make provision for extended school activities;
	(2)  how much funding the Government has given to Coventry City Council's Children and Families Education Service to fund after-school clubs;
	(3)  what steps the Government has taken to help local authorities provide after-school activities in schools;
	(4)  what steps the Government has taken to support local authorities in providing summer activities for children and young people.

Beverley Hughes: 1.3 billion is being made available to local authorities between 2008 and 2011 to support the continuing development of extended services.
	This significant investment will enable all schools to offer access to a core offer of extended services by 2010 which includes the provision of before and after school activities (combined with child care in primary schools) from 8 am to 6 pm and during school holidays where there is demand. For the current financial year (2008-09), Coventry local authority is receiving funding of 1.47 million to support the development of extended services. For 2009-10, this will increase to more than 2.12 million. Allocations for 2010-11 have not yet been finalised.
	In addition to funding, local authorities and their schools are supported by Government appointed delivery partners who advise on developing and delivering sustainable extended services. The lead delivery partner is the Training and Development Agency.

General Certificate of Secondary Education: Eastbourne

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of eligible pupils passed five or more GCSEs at grade A* to C in Eastbourne constituency in each of the last 10 years.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Percentage of pupils( 1)  achieving 5 or more A* to C grades at GCSE and equivalent( 2) 
			   Eastbourne parliamentary constituency( 3)  Eastbourne local authority district  England( 4) 
			 2007/08(5) 67.1 66.3 65.3 
			 2006/07 63.9 62.6 61.4 
			 2005/06 57.8 58.2 59.0 
			 2004/05 55.7 57.0 56.3 
			 2003/04 52.0 50.5 53.7 
			 2002/03 46.0 43.5 52.9 
			 2001/02 43.6 41.5 51.6 
			 2000/01 45.4 42.6 50.0 
			 1999/2000 47.4 46.6 49.2 
			 1998/99 48.7 46.1 47.9 
			 1997/98 44.5 43.6 46.3 
			 (1) Figures for 2005/06 onwards are based on pupils at the end of Key Stage 4. Data for previous years are based on pupils aged 15-years old at the start of the academic year. (2) From 1997/98 includes GNVQ equivalences and from 2003/04 other equivalences approved for use pre-16. (3) Pupils attending maintained schools located in Eastbourne constituency. (4) Figures for England include all schools. (5) Figures for 2007/08 are based on revised data.

Gifted Children: Disadvantaged

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether Teach First advocates are being used to mentor disadvantaged gifted and talented students from state schools in  (a) London,  (b) the Black Country and  (c) Greater Manchester.

Jim Knight: The Teach First Advocates scheme, part of the City Challenge Gifted and Talented Education Strand (City GATES), is now called the Higher Education Access Programme for Schools (HEAPS). HEAPS has been piloted in London and will continue there. It is being rolled out in Greater Manchester from this academic year (2008/09) and will be extended to the Black Country in academic year 2009/10.

Languages: GCSE

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what percentage of pupils who gained a GCSE in  (a) German,  (b) French and  (c) Spanish were educated in (i) the state sector and (ii) the independent sector in the latest year for which figures are available, broken down by individual grade.

Jim Knight: The table shows the number of pupils at the end of KS4 who achieved a GCSE in French, German and Spanish by grade in 2008.
	
		
			   A*  A  B  C  D  E  F  G  Total entries 
			  Maintained schools  
			 French 9,559 18,490 27,249 39,372 28,458 14,842 6,707 2,520 148,162 
			 German 4,176 8,433 12,883 18,766 11,179 4,684 2,195 974 63,566 
			 Spanish 4,701 6,506 7,763 10,986 8,170 4,113 2,141 907 45,658 
			  Independent schools  
			 French 8,482 7,139 5,753 4,625 1,686 386 59 12 28,179 
			 German 2,256 2,114 1,514 1,174 354 66 12 7 7,503 
			 Spanish 3,964 3,165 1,945 1,457 623 125 34 6 11,330 
		
	
	
		
			  Percentage of pupils at the end of KS4 who achieved a GCSE in French, German and Spanish by grade as a proportion of total entries 
			   Percentage  
			   A*  A  B  C  D  E  F  G  Total entries 
			  Maintained schools  
			 French 53 72 83 89 94 97 99 100 148,162 
			 German 65 80 89 94 97 99 99 99 63,566 
			 Spanish 54 67 80 88 93 97 98 99 45,658 
			  Independent schools  
			 French 47 28 17 11 6 3 1 0 28,179 
			 German 35 20 11 6 3 1 1 1 7,503 
			 Spanish 46 33 20 12 7 3 2 1 11,330

Languages: Teachers

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many secondary school teachers of  (a) Mandarin,  (b) Urdu,  (c) German,  (d) Italian and  (e) Japanese (i) there are in maintained secondary schools and (ii) qualified in the last year for which data are available.

Jim Knight: Information on secondary school teachers and the subjects they are teaching is collected in the Secondary School Curriculum and Staffing Survey (SSCSS). The most recent survey was carried out in February 2007, and achieved a sample of 14,137 teachers in 327 schools. Results were grossed up to provide national estimates of the number of secondary school teachers in England by subject area.
	The SSCSS survey estimated the following numbers of teachers delivering at least one period a week of the requested subjects(1):
	
		
			  Number of secondary school teachers of languages 
			  Subject  Count of teachers 
			 German 6,600 
			 Languages/Other Languages 1,000 
			 Italian 280 
			 Japanese 160 
			 Mandarin/Chinese 50 
			 Urdu 50 
			 (1 )The table may include some double counting, as teachers are counted once under subject they are teaching. For example, a teacher who teaches Italian and German will be counted once under each subject. The table gives national estimates.  Note:  Data are rounded to nearest 10  Source: Secondary School Curriculum and Staffing Survey, 2007 
		
	
	The table includes a category of teachers who teach 'Languages/Other Languages'we do not know which language(s) these teachers are delivering and it is possible that it may include any of the subjects listed in the table. In addition, care should be taken when interpreting national estimates based upon a sample survey.
	The number of teachers gaining QTS in Modern Foreign Languages in 2005-06, the most recent year for which data are available, was 1,260 (excluding those on employment based routes). We do not know which specific languages these teachers qualified in.

National Curriculum Tests

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what progress has been made in the pilots in schools trialling new ways to assess, report and stimulate progress throughout the key stages; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Making Good Progress pilot is a two year pilot, due to run until July 2009. It is being independently evaluated by PriceWaterhouseCoopers. The interim report on the first year of the pilot was published on the 18 December 2009 and a copy was sent to the chairman of the Select Committee for Children, Schools and Families. A copy will be placed in both Libraries.
	A final evaluation report which will make an assessment about the effectiveness of the pilot and its elements over the full two years is due to be published in the autumn of 2009.

National Curriculum Tests

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what percentage of 11 year olds achieved level 4 or above in  (a) English and  (b) mathematics in 2008;
	(2)  what percentage of 14 year olds achieved level 5 or above in  (a) English,  (b) mathematics and  (c) ICT in 2008.

Jim Knight: The percentage of pupils achieving level 4 or above in the KS2 English and mathematics tests in 2008 are:
	English: 81 per cent.
	Mathematics: 78 per cent.
	These figures are based on provisional data.
	The Department's key stage 2 provisional tests results for 2007-08 were published on 5 August 2008 and can be found at:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000804/index.shtml
	The percentage of pupils achieving level 5 or above in the KS3 English and mathematics tests in 2008 are:
	English: 73 per cent.
	Mathematics: 77 per cent.
	The Department's key stage 3 provisional tests results for 2007-08 were published on 12 August 2008 and can be found at:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000805/index.shtml
	Key stage 3 ICT results are based only on teacher assessments. The 2008 key stage 3 teacher assessments data, including ICT, will be published in February 2009.
	However, compulsory testing of pupils at key stage 3 has been ended.
	My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, stated, on 16 December,  Official Report, column1002, that he had decided not to proceed with collating and publishing key stage 3 performance tables at the school-level for 2008, as to do so would place a disproportionate burden on secondary schools when we are no longer proceeding with KS3 tests.

National Curriculum Tests

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families in how many schools less than 50 per cent. of pupils achieved level 5 or above in  (a) English,  (b) mathematics and  (c) science in 2008.

Jim Knight: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, announced on 14 October 2008,  Official Report, column 673, that secondary schools will no longer be required to enter pupils for national tests at the end of key stage 3.
	My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, stated, on 16 December,  Official Report, column 1002, that he had decided not to proceed with collating and publishing the key stage 3 achievement and attainment tables for 2008 as to do so would place a disproportionate burden on secondary schools in the light of the decision to abandon national tests at the end of key stage 3.
	However, key stage 3 school-level test data will be available from the Department on request once we have completed processing the data. Currently, we expect this to be in March 2009.

National Curriculum Tests

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families on what date he expects primary schools to receive the results of the 2009 national tests; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) is responsible for the administration of the key stage 2 (KS2) national curriculum tests. QCA advise that marked scripts and results will be returned to schools by 7 July 2009.

Schools

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools are in the National Challenge; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The final 2008 GCSE results show that the number of schools where fewer than 30 per cent. of pupils attain five higher grade GCSEs including English and Maths has fallen to 440 compared to 631 last year and 783 two years ago.
	The 2008 figure represents about 14 per cent. of maintained secondary schools compared with an equivalent proportion of over 50 per cent. in 1997. In addition, the National Challenge is providing support for some schools which are above the 30 per cent. floor target in order to secure or consolidate their performance. Some of these schools were in the National Challenge in 2007, but are continuing to receive support. Others are schools which were identified by their local authority because, although they are not in the National Challenge, they would benefit from the types of support it can offer to help them to raise attainment further.

Schools: Buildings

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what private finance initiative contracts have been entered into relating to school building and refurbishment projects since 2001.

Jim Knight: To date, 111 PFI deals have been signed since 2001 (19 of these PFI deals have been signed through the Building Schools for Future programme).

Schools: Capital Investment

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families in which local authority areas those school capital projects which will receive brought forward capital expenditure are located.

Jim Knight: We are awaiting bids and further information from some authorities, and are in correspondence with others. We will publish revised allocations as soon as allocations are confirmed.

Schools: Islam

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what his Department's policy is on female Muslim teachers and teaching assistants wearing the full burka while interacting with children in schools.

Jim Knight: It is for the employer, as part of the terms and conditions of employment agreed with employees, to establish an appropriate dress code relevant to the individual setting taking into account the requirements of the post and equality and diversity matters. The Department for Children Schools and Families has not issued any guidance on this matter.

Schools: Repairs and Maintenance

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether funding for the increased number of school repairs to help create jobs under the Government's plans to create up to 100,000 new jobs through public works will come from the budget of the Building Schools for the Future programme.

Jim Knight: Generally, repairs are of a revenue nature and are financed by revenue funding.
	Local authorities are being offered an advance of capital funding from the financial year 2010-11 to 2009-10 to (a) make capital improvements at an earlier date, and (b) support local jobs. The advances of capital funding will be made from allocations devolved to local authorities, also voluntary aided schools, and in some instances from primary capital funding. A tentative estimate of the number of jobs that will be created in 2009-10 is 10,000. The Building Schools for the Future programme is unaffected.

Schools: Repairs and Maintenance

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the number of jobs that will be created by increased funding for school repairs in  (a) 2009,  (b) 2010 and  (c) 2011 under the Government's plans to create up to 100,000 new jobs through public works; and what proportion of those jobs he estimates will go to British workers.

Jim Knight: Generally, repairs are of a revenue nature and are financed by revenue funding.
	Local authorities are being offered an advance of capital funding from the financial year 2010-11 to 2009-10 to (a) make capital improvements at an earlier date (b) support local jobs. The advances will be repaid in 2010-11 by way of a corresponding reduction in funding, and will not affect total allocations in the spending review period 2008-09 to 2010-11. A tentative estimate of the number of jobs that will be created in 2009-10 is 10,000. There are no estimates on the number of jobs that will go to British workers.

Schools: Repairs and Maintenance

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what plans he has to increase capital expenditure on a school repairs programme as part of the Government's plans to create up to 100,000 new jobs through public works.

Jim Knight: Generally, repairs are of a revenue nature and are financed by revenue funding.
	Local authorities are being offered an advance of capital funding from the financial year 2010-11 to 2009-10 to (a) make capital improvements at an earlier date (b) support local jobs. The advances will be repaid in 2010-11 by way of a corresponding reduction in funding, and will not affect total allocations in the spending review period 2008-09 to 2010-11. A tentative estimate of the number of jobs that will be created in 2009-10 is 10,000.
	Planned capital allocations during this period amount to some 21.9 billion, and include some of the largest school building programmes ever undertaken.

Schools: Standards

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the effect on a school's staffing levels of designating it as a national challenge school; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Over 50 million has been allocated in this academic year to support national challenge schools. This includes funding for extra teachers and teaching assistants, where schools and local authorities have identified the need. Further details will be made available in local authority plans, which will be published by local authorities today.

Schools: Standards

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the impact on school performance of being placed in the national challenge; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The final GCSE figures for 2008 show that there has been a substantial fall in the number of schools below the floor target of 30 per cent. 5A*-C including English and Maths, from 631 in 2007 to 440 in 2008. This reduction is a reflection of the hard work of staff and pupils and the success of our policies for raising standards. The National Challenge is accelerating progress by providing each school below the 30 per cent. threshold and those at risk with a National Challenge adviser and a bespoke package of support, targeted at the particular needs of each school.

Social Services: Doncaster

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when Paul Gray's term as Interim Director of Children's Services in Doncaster is due to expire.

Beverley Hughes: Dr. Paul Gray was recruited by Doncaster Metropolitan borough council in April 2008 to take up the position of Director of Children's Services (DCS) on an interim basis. It is for the council and Paul Gray himself to agree the length of Paul Gray's term as DCS in Doncaster.

Teachers: Part-time Employment

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the reasons are for the time taken to publish official guidance for the implementation of the provisions of the 2008 School Teachers' Pay and Conditions document in relation to the pay and working time of part-time teachers.

Jim Knight: The School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document 2008 (STPCD) came into force on 1 September 2008, Section 3 of which comprises statutory guidance including guidance on part-time teacher remuneration and working time. The statutory provisions of the STPCD and the statutory guidance were the subject of statutory consultation.
	Additional non statutory guidance on the new part-time arrangements was made available on Teachernet on 8 October. Following the identification of a technical error within the STPCD, this guidance was withdrawn on 4 November 2008 and replaced on 13 January 2009.

Teachers: Pensions

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families with reference to the Answer of 1 September 2008,  Official Report, column 1638W, on teachers' pensions: resource accounting and budgeting, for what reason the teachers' pension scheme resource accounts were not published between the 2008 summer recess and the end of the 2007-08 session; and when he plans to publish them.

Jim Knight: My right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office referred to some overpayments made to pensioners of public sector pension schemes, including the Teachers' Pension Scheme in a written ministerial statement on 16 December 2008,  Official Report, column 111WS.
	The Teachers' Pension Scheme resource accounts contain reference to these overpayments. The decision was taken not to publish the accounts until such time as we had sufficient information to be able to inform the pensioners. Critical to this decision was the need to avoid unnecessary public concern among the vast majority of teacher pensioners who were entirely unaffected, but who would not have known that had a general announcement been made. Letters were sent to affected pensioners on 15 December and the statement, formally notifying Parliament of the overpayments, was made on 16 December .
	The accounts will now be laid before 31 January.

Teachers: Primary Education

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many primary school teachers have been employed in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) nationwide in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: The following table provides the number of full-time equivalent teachers employed in local authority maintained nursery/primary schools in Jarrow constituency, South Tyneside local authority, North East Government Office Region and England, January 1997 to 2008.
	
		
			  Full-time equivalent qualified and unqualified teachers in local authority maintained nursery/primary schoolscoverage: Jarrow constituency, South Tyneside local authority, North East Government Office Region and England 
			  Years: January 1997 to 2008 
			   Jarrow constituency( 1)  South Tyneside( 2)  North East( 2)  England( 2) 
			 1997 360 700 10,400 191,660 
			 1998 350 690 10,280 190,070 
			 1999 350 690 10,310 191,120 
			 2000 350 640 10,190 193,100 
			 2001 360 680 10,350 194,960 
			 2002 340 660 10,440 197,370 
			 2003 330 630 10,210 197,430 
			 2004 320 630 10,170 196,640 
			 2005 310 610 10,050 196,270 
			 2006 310 590 10,070 198,190 
			 2007 300 580 10,020 197,100 
			 2008 300 570 9,920 198,090 
			 (1). Source: School Census (2) Source: Annual Survey of Teachers in Service and Teacher Vacancies, 618g  Note:  Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.

Teachers: Resignations

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many  (a) primary and  (b) secondary school teachers left the profession after less than 10 years service in each of the last 20 years.

Jim Knight: The following table provides the number of full and part-time qualified teachers employed in local authority maintained nursery/primary and secondary schools in England who left the profession with less than 10 years recorded service, in each year 1987-88 to 2006-07, the latest information available.
	Teachers are counted irrespective of whether they were leaving service permanently.
	
		
			  Full and part-time( 1)  qualified teachers in local authority maintained nursery/primary and secondary schools in England who left the profession( 2)  with less than 10 years service, in each year 1987-88 to 2006-07 
			   Nursery/primary  Secondary 
			 2006-07(3) 7,090 8,370 
			 2005-06(3) 7,980 9,220 
			 2004-05 7,940 8,450 
			 2003-04 8,250 8,280 
			 2002-03 9,000 8,510 
			 2001-02 7,290 7,560 
			 2000-01 7,540 7,710 
			 1999-2000 7,410 7,150 
			 1998-99 7,560 7,060 
			 1997-98 6,680 6,020 
			 1996-97 5,820 5,490 
			 1995-96 6,030 6,210 
			 1994-95 5,840 5,470 
			 1993-94 5,930 7,330 
			 1992-93 6,460 6,010 
			 1991-92 6,990 6,600 
			 1990-91 7,870 8,180 
			 1989-90 6,500 8,280 
			 1988-89 6,220 8,900 
			 1987-88 5,990 9,280 
			 (1) 10-20 per cent. of all part-time teachers who were in service at the beginning of each year shown may not be included in the data. (2) Teacher is no longer in service in the English maintained schools sector and may be teaching in FE/HE sectors or in other countries. (3) Provisional.  Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: Database of Teacher Records

Teachers: Training

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many places are available in the graduate teacher programme in this year; how many places he expects to be available under the programme in each of the next three years; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The following table shows the number of places available on the graduate teacher programme for the current academic year and the number expected to be made available for future years for which allocations have been made.
	
		
			  Allocation of new initial teacher training places via the graduate teacher programme 2008-09 to 2010-11, England 
			   Places 
			 2008-09 4,660 
			 2009-10 4,270 
			 2010-11 4,260 
			  Notes: 1. These allocations have been set by TDA and are based on overall targets set by DCSF. 2. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10

Young People: Crime

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps he is taking to discourage young people in deprived areas from becoming associated with criminal activity.

Beverley Hughes: The Youth Crime Action Plan, published in July 2008, set out the Government's plans for tackling offending by young people. It detailed our plans for a 'triple track' approach of tough enforcement, non-negotiable help and support, and early intervention and prevention. It also states our ambition to reduce the rate of young people entering the criminal justice system by one fifth by 2020. This is supported by close to 100 million over the next three years, in addition to the existing investment in children's and youth services, to support local authorities in making inroads into youth crime locally. This funding is weighted towards areas facing higher levels of crime, antisocial behaviour, fear and deprivation.
	The Youth Crime Action Plan builds on the already significant investment committed to programmes aimed at preventing young people's involvement in criminal activity in deprived areas. Key examples of this are the almost 700 million we are spending in 2008-11 to help young people take part in structured positive activities and to improve facilities in deprived areas through the Positive Activities for Young People and Myplace programmes.
	In addition, the Youth Justice Board are investing 33 million per year through Youth Offending Teams to deliver targeted prevention programmes such as youth inclusion programmes (YIPs), youth inclusion and support panels (YISPs) and parenting programmes. These are focussed on areas of highest need and many programmes operate in some of the most deprived areas of England and Wales.

Young People: North East

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps the Government is taking to improve understanding of financial matters amongst teenage mothers and young people in the  (a) North East,  (b) Tees Valley district and  (c) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency.

Beverley Hughes: Young people should have a planned and coherent programme of personal finance education, so that they leave school with the skills and confidence to manage their money effectively. This is being provided through the new 'economic well-being and financial capability' strand of personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education, which was introduced into all secondary schools in September 2008. In addition, there are opportunities within a number of subjects across the curriculum to learn about financial matters, including citizenship, mathematics, business studies and enterprise education.
	We are also funding the My Money Programme, which has an established network of support for local authorities through regional consultantsincluding the north eastwho are building capacity among local authorities to support schools in delivering personal finance education.
	Positive parenting education is available to teenage mothers and pregnant teenagers in the north east region as part of local provision to engage them in learning. This would generally include financial education covering issues such as managing money on a budget and avoiding debt.

Youth Justice Unit

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what funding his Department has provided for the Youth Justice Unit in the last 12 months; and what funding it plans to provide for the Unit in the next three years.

Beverley Hughes: The Department for Children, Schools and Families has provided the Youth Justice Board with 33,961,201.52 for the financial year April 2008 to March 2009.
	Final budgets for 2009-10 and 2010-11 will be allocated at the beginning of the financial year.

JUSTICE

Approved Premises

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many bail hostels were opened in Eastbourne in each of the last five years; what the location is of each; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what criteria are employed in selecting which offenders to place in a bail hostel; what account is taken of potential risk to the public in those criteria; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what steps his Department takes to consult local authorities on the location of bail hostels; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  what mechanisms are in place for his Department to oversee the operation of Clearsprings; and if he will make a statement;
	(5)  what steps his Department is taking to ensure that members of the public are made aware of the identity and location of bail hostels in their area; and if he will make a statement;
	(6)  how many bail hostels are planned to be opened in each constituency in the next five years.

David Hanson: I take all of the hon. Gentleman's questions to relate to the accommodation and support service provided by ClearSprings. The service provides small houses and flats which are the private rented homes of those receiving the service. There are currently none in Eastbourne. If a property becomes available for this service in his constituency I will write and inform him.
	Those who are sex offenders or who are charged with sex offences, and those who have committed arson of buildings in the past 10 years, are excluded from the service. Sentenced prisoners who are not eligible for home detention curfew are excluded. In addition, ClearSprings will not accept those whom they deem to pose an unacceptable risk to the public, to other service users or to ClearSprings' staff.
	That ClearSprings will accept a person does not guarantee that person's release. The courts decide whether a defendant can be bailed. In making its decision the court will consider the risk of offending and the extent to which the ClearSprings service would mitigate that risk. The court makes its decision in knowledge of any previous convictions and submissions by the prosecution and the defence. The court can impose other conditions, such as electronic monitoring. Decisions to release prisoners on home detention curfew are made by prison governors. All those applying for home detention curfew are risk assessed before release and probation assess the suitability of the proposed address for the individual offender.
	ClearSprings is contractually obliged to consult local authorities, probation and the police, inviting them to comment on the suitability of the proposed location of a property to be leased for this service.
	The service is managed regionally by NOMS Regional Offender Managers and Directors of Offender Management, who have monthly operational meetings and quarterly review meetings about regional performance. Additionally there are monthly contract meetings between a NOMS director and ClearSprings senior management.
	We do not disclose the private addresses of defendants or offenders. Neighbours are provided with details to enable them to contact ClearSprings staff in the event of any concerns about behaviour.
	Regional Offender Managers identify the requirement for this service by town, not constituency. A list of towns where properties were expected to be needed was published on 21 January 2008,  Official Report, column 1653W. A list of the constituencies with properties currently provided was published on 15 January 2009,  Official Report, column 911W.

Cannabis: Misuse

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent representations he has received on the potential use of penalty notices for disorder for cannabis possession offences.

Maria Eagle: We have received representations from the Association of Chief Police Officers and the Magistrates Association on the potential use of penalty notices for disorder for dealing with cannabis possession offences.

Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many charges have been brought under provisions of the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007.

Maria Eagle: The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 came into force on 6 April 2008 and only applies to offences committed after that date.
	Charging data are not held by the Ministry of Justice. Prosecution data are normally provided in lieu. Court proceedings data for 2008 will not be available until the autumn of 2009.

Courts: Fees and Charges

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average fee charged to local authorities on receipt of an application for care proceedings to the courts is.

Bridget Prentice: The fee to issue an application under section 31 of the Children Act 1989 is fixed at 2,225. Two additional fees may be charged at a later stage of the process if the stages are required. A full list of fees for family proceedings is set out in the Family Proceedings Fees Order 2008, this order came into force on 1 May 2008.

Debt Collection: Regulation

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps the Government plans to take to improve regulation of bailiffs in the next 12 months.

Bridget Prentice: As detailed in the response to ConsultationRegulation of Enforcement Agents dated 18 March 2008 the preferred option for regulation of the industry, for those enforcement agents who are not Crown Employees, is by the Security Industry Authority (SIA). The SIA has produced a business case on the way forward, which will be reviewed and final decisions taken in February 2009.

Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many special advisers were employed in his Department at each pay band on 30 November 2008; and what his Department's total expenditure on special advisers was in 2007-08.

Jack Straw: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Cabinet Office my hon. Friend the Member for West Bromwich, East (Mr. Watson) on 15 January 2009,  Official Report, column 870W.
	The Government are committed to publishing an annual list detailing the number and costs of special advisers. Information for 2007-08 was published by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 22 July 2008,  Official Report, columns 99-102WS.

Departmental Pay

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much has been spent by his Department on staff reward and recognition schemes in each of the last three years.

Michael Wills: Reward and recognition schemes within the Ministry of Justice are partly implemented through the payment of 'special' or 'small' bonuses to staff. These bonuses are paid in the form of an 'in year' bonus, paid to recognise exceptional achievements during the performance year. Reward and recognition is also implemented through the organisation of team awards and events, loyalty awards and locally purchased gifts or vouchers.
	The figures are presented separately for staff previously on former DCA terms and conditions and by staff in the public sector Prison Service (NOMS). The figures for staff previously on former DCA terms and conditions prior to 2007-08, exclude payments to former magistrates courts staff. They also exclude staff in the Tribunals Service who joined former DCA on 1 April 2006 from other Government Departments about whom information is not available prior to 2007. The figures do not include any 'year-end' bonuses as these are paid separately to the reward and recognition budget.
	The senior civil service (SCS) are also not included in these figures as they receive bonuses at 'year-end' and these are not paid through the reward and recognition budget.
	
		
			  Reward and recognition payments (excluding 'year end' bonuses) awarded during the past three years to staff previously on former DCA terms and conditions (not SCS) 
			  Awarded in financial year  Total amount awarded () 
			 2005-06 487,753 
			 2006-07 894,169 
			 2007-08 (1)2,348,520 
			 (1) Reflects increased staff complement through the inclusion of staff on former MCS terms and conditions and those who joined former DCA from the Tribunals Service. 
		
	
	
		
			  Reward and recognition payments (excluding 'year end' bonuses) awarded during the past three years to staff previously in the public sector Prison Service (NOMS) 
			  Awarded in financial year  Total amount awarded () 
			 2005-06 817,302 
			 2006-07 1,681,914 
			 2007-08 2,665,212 
		
	
	The payment of these 'in-year' bonuses, which are non-consolidated and non-pensionable, recognises exceptional commitment and performance by individuals as part of the Department's reward strategy. The other elements of the reward and recognition scheme (such as trips, team events and loyalty awards) also serve this function. Such payments are a cost-effective means of encouraging and rewarding exceptional performance.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has to consult the relevant trades unions on  (a) his Department's budget and  (b) planned reductions in that budget for (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2010-11.

Jack Straw: Planning work has been under way since September 2008 to determine how the Ministry of Justice will live within its spending review settlement, secure 1 billion of savings by 2010-11 and improve performance levels. We have agreed a revised consultative framework with the unions and have held regular meetings with them throughout this period, with the next planned meeting at the corporate level provisionally scheduled for 22 January 2009; we are awaiting confirmation of departmental trade union side availability.
	We have now completed the process of due diligence which has enabled us to set budgets for business groups for 2009-10. These have been published in the MOJ Corporate Plan on 19 January, a copy of which together with other performance and efficiency related communications to staff will be shared with the unions ahead of wider circulation. The Corporate Plan will also be available in the Library of the House. Budgetary allocations will be discussed with the unions at our next meeting.
	Following issue of the Corporate Plan, business groups will work in earnest to develop their own business plans. These plans will address in detail how the Department will meet the performance and efficiency challenges. Going forward and under the provisions of the Consultative Framework, consultation will take place with the unions at a local level or, when appropriate, at a corporate level.
	The recent pre-Budget report contained an announcement of an additional 5 billion value for money saving to be delivered in 2010-11 across the public sector. Decisions have yet to be made as to how those savings will be allocated between Departments but once this is clear we will need to consider the implications for us. This means it will be a little while before we can publish figures for that year. Once they have settled, we will share again details of the allocations with union colleagues.

Legal Aid Scheme

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the merits of reducing the interest rate applied to statutory charges for legal-aided clients.

Shahid Malik: The Department is currently considering the merits of altering the interest rate applied to the statutory charge.

Legal Aid Scheme

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many times the interest on Legal Services Commission charges has been reviewed and changed to reflect the economic climate in the last five years.

Shahid Malik: The statutory charge interest rate has been reviewed once in the last five years. The rate was changed in 2005.

Legal Aid Scheme

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have had a Legal Services Commission legal aid charge postponed and attached to their property after a family proceeding in the last three years.

Shahid Malik: At 31 March 2008, there were 8,253 open statutory charges that had been postponed and attached to a property after a family proceeding between 2005-06 and 2007-08. Each statutory charge relates to a case rather than a person.

Legal Aid Scheme

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether the Government plan to reduce the interest rate applied to legal aid charges to the Legal Services Commission to reflect Bank of England interest rate reductions.

Shahid Malik: The Department is currently considering the merits of altering the interest rate applied to the statutory charge.

National Offender Management Service: Manpower

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many  (a) former Probation Service and  (b) former Prison Service staff by grade are working in the Financial Management Unit under the auspices of the Chief Operating Officer at the National Offender Management Service;
	(2)  how many former  (a) Probation Service and  (b) Prison Service staff of each grade are working in the (i) Office of Information and Technology, (ii) Office of Financial Control and Accountancy, (iii) Office of Shared Services, (iv) Commercial and Competitions Unit, (v) Audit and Corporate Assurance Office, (vi) Strategy and Effectiveness Group, (vii) Programme and Project Services Group and (viii) Procurement Group under the auspices of the Director of Finance and Performance at the National Offender Management Service;
	(3)  how many former  (a) Probation Service and  (b) Prison Service staff of each grade are working in the (i) Estates Planning and Development Group under the auspices of the Director of Capacity Programme and (ii) Safer Custody and Offender Policy Group under the auspices of the Director of Commissioning and Operational Policy at the National Offender Management Service;
	(4)  how many staff of each grade working in National Offender Management Service headquarters previously worked for the  (a) Probation Service and  (b) Prison Service;
	(5)  how many former  (a) Probation Service staff and  (b) Prison Service staff of each grade are working in the office of the (i) Chief Operating Officer, (ii) Finance and Performance, (iii) Human Resources, (iv) the Capacity Programme, (v) Commissioning and Operating Policy, (vi) the office of the Director of Offender Health, (vii) the office of National Commissioning under the auspices of the Chief Operating Officer and (viii) the office of Performance Delivery under the auspices of the Chief Operating Officer at the National Offender Management Service.

Shahid Malik: Information on the number of former probation and prison staff that are now employed by each directorate, headquarters group and the National Offender Management Service Headquarters broken down by grade, is contained in the following tables.
	The information includes a number of staff (792) who are employed in the units specified who were neither former Prison Service or Probation Service staff. These staff were previously employed in the former NOMS HQ.
	The new NOMS HQ was formed from all staff from the National Probation Directorate and Prison Service Headquarters, as well as staff from the former NOMS HQ. Inevitably the majority were former Prison Service staff. This is because the Probation Service headquarters was significantly smaller as many staff are employed in probation boards and trusts. What matters is that all employees in NOMS HQ recognise that they are now working for a new agency and whatever their past employment history they are focused on public protection and reducing re-offending through integrated offender management.
	
		
			  National Offend er Management Service Headquarters  Staffing: As at 31 December 2008 
			Prison Service 
			  Directorate  Organisation  Senior Civil Service  Senior Manager  Manager  EO and Equiv. 
			 Capacity Programme Estates Planning and Development   1  
			  Other Groups/Units 1 1   
			 Capacity Programme total  1 1 1  
			 Commissioning and Operational Policy Offender Assessment and Management Group  2   
			  Other Groups/Units 
			 Commissioning and Operational Policy total   2   
			 Director General Briefing and Casework Unit  1 16 15 
			  Internal Communications   4 6 
			  Race Equality Action Group 1 5 17 1 
			  Other Groups/Units 1 5 7 5 
			 Director General Total  2 11 44 27 
			 Finance and Performance Audit and Corporate Assurance 1 6 18 7 
			  Commercial and Competitions Unit1 
			  Financial Control and Accountancy 1 5 21 9 
			  Information and Communication Technology 1 16 28 13 
			  Phoenix Shared Service Centre 1 30 252 287 
			  Procurement 1 7 17 8 
			  Programmes and Project Management Group1 
			  Strategy and Effectiveness Group 1 7 20 3 
			  Other Groups/Units 2 20 80 61 
			 Finance and Performance Total  8 91 436 390 
			 High Security Directorate Total  2 23 46 18 
			 HR Total  7 77 105 28 
			 Chief Operating Officer Area Offices, ROMs, DOMs and Area Teams 11 91 214 42 
			  Office of National Commissioning   2  
			  Performance Delivery  1 1  
			  Public Protection Unit   1 2 
			  Other Groups/Units 2 26 55 14 
			 Chief Operating Officer Total  13 118 273 58 
			 Commissioning and Operational Policy Commissioning, Women and Young Peoples Group 2 21 38 12 
			  Interventions Group and Substance Misuse  20 59 8 
			  Offender Employment Skills  Services Group 1 11 53 8 
			  Operational Policy Unit  2 3 2 
			  Safer Custody and Offender Policy Group 1 5 7 4 
			  Other Groups/Units 2 9 13 3 
			 Commissioning and Operational Policy Total  6 68 173 37 
			 Grand total  39 391 1,078 558 
		
	
	
		
			Prison Service 
			AO/AA and Equiv.  OSG and Officer Grades  Other and Industrial  Total 
			 Capacity Programme Estates Planning and Development1 
			  Other Groups/Units2 
			 Capacity Programme total 3 
			 Commissioning and Operational Policy Offender Assessment and Management Group2 
			  Other Groups/Units 
			 Commissioning and Operational Policy total 2 
			 Director General Briefing and Casework Unit 5   37 
			  Internal Communications 1   11 
			  Race Equality Action Group 2 1  27 
			  Other Groups/Units 3   21 
			 Director General Total  11 1  96 
			 Finance and Performance Audit and Corporate Assurance 10 10  52 
			  Commercial and Competitions Unit1 
			  Financial Control and Accountancy 1   37 
			  Information and Communication Technology58 
			  Phoenix Shared Service Centre 340 112 12 1,034 
			  Procurement   4 37 
			  Programmes and Project Management Group 1   2 
			  Strategy and Effectiveness Group 2 6  39 
			  Other Groups/Units 59 1 42 265 
			 Finance and Performance Total  413 129 58 1,525 
			 High Security Directorate Total  25 32  146 
			 HR Total  20 14  251 
			 Chief Operating Officer Area Offices, ROMs, DOMs and Area Teams 137 79 377 951 
			  Office of National Commissioning2 
			  Performance Delivery2 
			  Public Protection Unit  1  4 
			  Other Groups/Units 9 16 1 123 
			 Chief Operating Officer Total  146 96 378 1,082 
			 Commissioning and Operational Policy Commissioning, Women and Young Peoples Group 3 10  86 
			  Interventions Group and Substance Misuse 14 2  103 
			  Offender Employment Skills  Services Group 11  1 85 
			  Operational Policy Unit7 
			  Safer Custody and Offender Policy Group 5   22 
			  Other Groups/Units 8 1 1 37 
			 Commissioning and Operational Policy Total  41 13 2 340 
			 Grand total  656 285 438 3,445 
		
	
	
		
			Probation 
			Senior Civil Service  Senior Manager  Manager  EO and Equiv. 
			 Capacity Programme Estates Planning and Development 
			  Other Groups/Units 
			 Capacity Programme total  
			 Commissioning and Operational Policy Offender Assessment and Management Group 
			  Other Groups/Units 
			 Commissioning and Operational Policy total  
			 Director General Briefing and Casework Unit 
			  Internal Communications 
			  Race Equality Action Group 
			  Other Groups/Units 
			 Director General Total  
			 Finance and Performance Audit and Corporate Assurance 
			  Commercial and Competitions Unit 
			  Financial Control and Accountancy 
			  Information and Communication Technology 
			  Phoenix Shared Service Centre 
			  Procurement 
			  Programmes and Project Management Group 
			  Strategy and Effectiveness Group 
			  Other Groups/Units 
			 Finance and Performance Total  
			 High Security Directorate Total  
			 HR Total  1 6 7 3 
			 Chief Operating Officer Area Offices, ROMs, DOMs and Area Teams 6 25 18 18 
			  Office of National Commissioning 
			  Performance Delivery 
			  Public Protection Unit 
			  Other Groups/Units 1 6 2 3 
			 Chief Operating Officer Total  7 31 20 21 
			 Commissioning and Operational Policy Commissioning, Women and Young Peoples Group 
			  Interventions Group and Substance Misuse 
			  Offender Employment Skills  Services Group 
			  Operational Policy Unit 
			  Safer Custody and Offender Policy Group 
			  Other Groups/Units 
			 Commissioning and Operational Policy Total  
			 Grand total  8 37 27 24 
		
	
	
		
			Probation   
			AO/AA and Equiv.  OSG and Officer Grades  Total  Former NOMS HQ  OMMS HQ Total 
			 Capacity Programme Estates Planning and Development30 31 
			  Other Groups/Units87 89 
			 Capacity Programme total 117 120 
			 Commissioning and Operational Policy Offender Assessment and Management Group21 23 
			  Other Groups/Units3 3 
			 Commissioning and Operational Policy total 24 26 
			 Director General Briefing and Casework Unit1 38 
			  Internal Communications 11 
			  Race Equality Action Group2 29 
			  Other Groups/Units7 28 
			 Director General Total 10 106 
			 Finance and Performance Audit and Corporate Assurance24 76 
			  Commercial and Competitions Unit46 47 
			  Financial Control and Accountancy12 49 
			  Information and Communication Technology44 102 
			  Phoenix Shared Service Centre1 1035 
			  Procurement5 42 
			  Programmes and Project Management Group 2 
			  Strategy and Effectiveness Group1 40 
			  Other Groups/Units57 322 
			 Finance and Performance Total 190 1715 
			 High Security Directorate Total 2 148 
			 HR Total  1  18 14 283 
			 Chief Operating Officer Area Offices, ROMs, DOMs and Area Teams 11 5 83 1 1035 
			  Office of National Commissioning70 72 
			  Performance Delivery 2 
			  Public Protection Unit177 181 
			  Other Groups/Units   12 132 267 
			 Chief Operating Officer Total  11 5 95 380 1557 
			 Commissioning and Operational Policy Commissioning, Women and Young Peoples Group7 93 
			  Interventions Group and Substance Misuse31 134 
			  Offender Employment Skills  Services Group6 91 
			  Operational Policy Unit3 10 
			  Safer Custody and Offender Policy Group3 25 
			  Other Groups/Units5 42 
			 Commissioning and Operational Policy Total 55 395 
			 Grand total  12 5 113 792 4350 
			  Note: Staff have been allocated as either Prison Service, Probation Service or former NOMS HQ based on their unit immediately prior to the creation of the new NOMS HQ. No account is taken of experience before that, either in the Prison Service or Probation Service.

Offences Against Children: Convictions

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have been convicted of  (a) child abuse and  (b) murdering a child in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: The number of persons aged 18 and over convicted at all courts for offences relating to child abuse from 2003 to 2007 in England and Wales can be viewed in the following table. As there is no specific offence of child abuse, statistics are only provided where the victim can be identified as a child from the description of the offence. Child abuse can be covered by a number of offences, including the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004 S.5 which came into force on 21 March 2005.
	These data are on the principal offence basis. The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offence for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences, the offence selected is the one for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
	Court proceedings data for 2008 will be available in the autumn of 2009.
	
		
			  N umber of defendants aged 18 and over convicted at all courts for offences relating to child abuse and child murder in England and Wales, 2003 to 2007( 1, 2, 3, 4) 
			Found guilty 
			  Statute  Offence description  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004 S.5 Causing or allowing the death of a child or vulnerable person 0 0 0 2 6 
			
			 Children and Young Persons Act 1933 Sec 1. Cruelty or neglect of children 488 537 476 487 486 
			
			 Offences against the Person Act 1861 Sec 27 Abandoning children under 2 years 1 0 0 2 1 
			
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.1 Rape of a female aged under 16 239 261 219 207 227 
			
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.1 Rape of a male aged under 16 23 21 22 13 19 
			
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.5 Rape of a female child under 13 by a male 0 4 43 59 70 
			
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.5 Rape of a male child under 13 by a male 0 0 3 17 14 
			
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.7 Sexual assault of a female child under 13 0 25 139 192 216 
			
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.8(1)(2)(1)(3), S.10(1a,b,ci)(3), S.9(1a,b,cii)(2), S.9(la,b,cii)(3), S 10(1,a,b,c(ii))(2), S.10(1,a,b,c(ii))(3) Sexual activity involving a child 0 20 113 175 170 
			
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S16(1ei,2-5), S16(1eii,2-5), S17(1ei,2-5), S18(1fi,2-5), S19(1ei,2-5), S17(1eii,2-5) Abuse of a position of trust: Sexual activity with children 0 3 14 16 15 
			
			 Common Law. Offences against the Person Act 186i Sec 1, 9, 10. Murder of infants under 1 year of age 4 4 4 7 6 
			
			 Infanticide Act 1938 S1(1). Infanticide 0 0 2 1 1 
			 Total  755 875 1,035 1,178 1,231 
			 (1 )These data are on the principal offence basis. (2 )Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts, and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3 )Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004 S.5 came into force on 21 March 2005. (4 )The Sexual Offences Act 2003 came into force on 1 May 2004.  Source:  OCJRE  A: Office for Criminal Justice ReformEvidence and Analysis Unit

Political Parties: Finance

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the de minimis 200 threshold for recording political donations contained in the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 would be now if it had been indexed to  (a) the gross domestic product deflator and  (b) average earnings since its introduction.

Michael Wills: The Political Parties Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA) received Royal Assent in the final quarter of 2000. Using that as the starting point and the third quarter of 2008 as the end point for the comparison, 200 in 2000 would now be worth 245 if indexed to the gross domestic product deflator. If indexed to whole economy average earnings, 200 in 2000 would now be worth 269.
	As I indicated in a previous answer on 12 January 2009,  Official Report, column 518W, the Government will consider whether it is appropriate to raise the 200 threshold for recording donations contained in the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000, and we are open to representations on this point.